Miles confirms government considering mandatory meth testing amid ‘significant increase’ in drug labs

The state government is considering introducing mandatory testing for all Qld homes rented or sold over concerns children and the elderly are being increasingly exposed.

The state government is considering bringing in landmark mandatory meth testing in all Queensland homes being rented or sold following calls from a real estate giant, Premier Steven Miles has confirmed.

Ray White called for new legislation to be introduced into state parliamen around mandatory meth testing, amid growing concerns children and the elderly are being increasingly exposed to the “silent killer”.

During a press conference on Monday, Queensland Premier Steven Miles said he would consider mandatory meth testing for properties for all homes being rented or sold across the state.

“There would need to be consensus from the industry and then a clear proposal including how we would go about it,” Mr Miles said.

The call for new legislation to be introduced comes as Queensland Police Service reports a “significant increase” in the size and scale of drug labs being detected.

Inspector Bradley Phelps from the Drug and Serious Crime Group said 67 drug labs had been located and processed by the Queensland Police Service in 2023.

“I strongly suspect that children are being exposed to meth all over the state, it is only when something dramatic happens, like we have a fatality that quite often we become involved or become aware of it,” he said.

“Those labs range in size from small personal use-type laboratories right through to very large commercial laboratories (but) we have noticed a significant increase in the size and scale of the labs located in 2023.”

Ray White Property Management CEO Emily Sim said the company wanted to see industry standardised testing for meth contamination introduced at an affordable rate.

“Ray White would like to see this legislated,” she said.

“Currently there are both inexpensive methods with high failure rates methods and expensive conclusive methods for testing.

“Following a conclusive positive result, we are lacking in legislation for how best to support both parties.

“Currently, they both end up heavily out of pocket.”

The Queensland Police Service located and processed 67 drug labs in 2023. Picture: Supplied

In Australia, properties with meth contamination levels above 0.5 micrograms per 100 square centimetres (0.5 µg/100 cm2) are considered uninhabitable.

During the manufacture of meth, toxic gases and aerosols are produced and can be absorbed by floorings, walls, drains and ducting, furnishings or fixtures, according to Queensland Health.

Long term exposure to residual chemical contamination produced at clan labs can be a health risk with symptoms of exposure including throat irritation, breathing difficulties, headaches, skin conditions and mental health problems.

Insp Phelps said a recent analysis of a Burpengary East home, where a meth lab had been set up found contamination levels had reached 21 µg in the kitchen, 4.9 µg in the hallway, 3.3 µg in the master bedroom and 0.67 µg in the baby’s room opposite the change table.

Ms Sim said their current advice for investors was to always ensure they had a landlord building and contents policy which covered them for the remedial works resulting from a conclusive positive test in a property.

Veteran auctioneer, and former chief auctioneer at Ray White Queensland, Philip Parker revealed landlords and homeowners had been forced to fork out hundreds of thousands to have their properties remediated in some of the state’s richest suburbs including Ascot, Alderley and Zillmere.

The QPS said the size and scale of drug labs located in Queensland increased in 2023. Picture: Supplied

Mr Parker said before a contaminated property was sold or rented it needed to be “declared”, with the purchase price potentially discounted.

An LJ Hooker Group spokeswoman said if new legislation was introduced and passed by the Queensland Government, it would “diligently adhere”.

Several Queensland homes have been abandoned in recent years, amid growing fears the poisonous substance and its residues could result in a public health disaster.

Property management company, ireviloution, founder Jo-Anne Oliveri said the real estate industry was currently putting “money over safety” with meth contamination a “silent killer lurking in potentially every home”.

“I fail to understand how the government can place so much importance on items such as smoke alarms and pool fencing, yet they want to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to properties with toxic drug residue,” she said.

Former head of property management at Place Estate Agents Cathie Crampton said compulsory testing would create a “cocoon of protection” for all parties.

REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said the peak body for real estate professionals did not consider meth testing to be “common due diligence”.

“Testing can be performed at the discretion of buyers, renters and lessors, and the REIQ supports this choice rather than mandating property drug testing,” she said.

Inspector Bradley Phelps from the Drug and Serious Crime Group. Picture: Matt Taylor

“There are many things that property managers look out for during routine inspections and they can respond if they see or suspect drug-related activity at one of their properties.”

Ms Mercorella said real estate professionals were required to “disclose” previous contamination of a property to a “potential purchaser or future tenant”, including remediation measures.

The Department of Housing would not say if the state government would consider mandatory meth testing for all homes being rented or sold.

A spokeswoman said the department had a portfolio of over 55,000 government owned and managed social housing properties.

As at June 30 2023, the department’s owned and managed portfolios vacancy rate was 1.1 per cent.

Of that, vacancies related to remediation of drug contamination represent 0.01 per cent of the total public housing stock.

The spokeswoman said when meth contamination was identified in a social housing property, “professional and qualified cleaners are engaged to ensure the property is made safe before it is tenanted again”.

It was not confirmed if this was at taxpayer expense.

“The department tests for drug contamination where there is official notification from the Queensland Police Service or if there is a reasonable belief that the property has been contaminated,” she said.