Thousands of Melburnians in public housing remain without proper heating after carbon monoxide fears
A LILYDALE mother and her three small children are among more than 6000 Victorians shivering their way through winter while the State Government replaces faulty heating units.
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A LILYDALE mother and her three small children are shivering their way through winter, without proper heating while the State Government replaces faulty units.
Single-parent Casey Pyle is one of more than 6500 state housing residents who had heaters disconnected before winter because of deadly carbon monoxide concerns.
Melbourne just shivered through its coldest night, with temperatures in nearby Colstream dropping to -3.9C at 4am on June 2.
GRIEVING FAMILY WARNS OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING RISK FROM GAS APPLIANCES
SUSPECTED CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING FROM INSIDE BARBECUE
MY BOYS DIED SLEEPING IN MY BED
The 28-year-old discovered the Energy Safe Victoria warning in March on the Friends of Public Housing Facebook page and immediately contacted the department about her heater.
Nothing was done until a letter arrived in April notifying tenants the affected appliances — Vulcan or Pyrox Heritage Gas Space heaters — could emit unsafe levels of carbon monoxide.
She said her children Riley, 7, Chelsea, 5 and Jade, 3, all huddle around a small oil column heater — the temporary government-issued fill-in to heat the three-bedroom house — which has blown her electricity bills by twice as much as normal
“I’m not holding my breath on getting a heater before winter is finished,” she said.
“The way its been handled is ridiculous.”
She said there was condensation on the windows every morning, which meant the house was in a constant state of damp.
Ms Pyle said she had been going to the laundromat to dry the children’s clothes, and the eldest was suffering from croup.
“I feel the cold really easily but I can’t imagine how the elderly are feeling,” she said.
Eildon state Liberal MP Christine Fyffe said she had been contacted by four public housing residents and had asked the minister to expedite the issue.
“The temporary heaters they’ve supplied are tiny and they’re not coping,” Mrs Fyffe said.
“Most of these tenants are vulnerable — young children or the elderly.”
A Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Ruth Ward said while all the faulty heaters would be replaced, the government was prioritising smaller apartments, elderly and people with health conditions.
Ms Ward said the department had provided 2500 temporary heaters but would give out more to tenants if needed.
“The department is working through a subsidy that can be provided to assist tenants experiencing an increase in electricity bills as a result of the use of the temporary heaters,” she said.
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