00:02Surrounded by fencing, the mine at Captain's Flat closed in the 1960s.
00:07For the town below, it's left a lasting legacy.
00:11We're really in a great proximity to Queanbeyan and Canberra.
00:16We have a lot of vacant land out here.
00:18It's a really affordable place to live,
00:20but there's been no ability at the moment to develop that affordable housing.
00:25Elevated lead levels in surface soils confirmed in 2021.
00:29Mean residents like Sandra Nielsen must make the most of restrictions on their lifestyle.
00:36You can't do veggie patches.
00:38You can't do nothing in the ground itself.
00:40You can't renovate your homes externally.
00:44There's no building extra rooms or significantly renovating.
00:49Remediation works have been ongoing,
00:51but there's been little to help decontaminate private properties.
00:55I felt that it was an unfair situation for government to be spending a lot of money
00:59on remediating the crown land in the area,
01:01which has been happening for decades,
01:03but not assisting the local residents.
01:05Soon, a $1 million state government fund,
01:08administered by the local council,
01:10will be available to eligible residents.
01:13It'll be essentially about remediating things like soil,
01:17replacing, taking it out to a containment cell,
01:20which is going to be created in the nearby area.
01:22The announcement has been welcomed,
01:24but some worry it won't be enough.
01:27We've got the potential to remediate maybe 10 to 12 properties
01:31with what we have estimated as the costs.
01:33But I think that's probably appropriate in the first year.
01:36But as long as this sort of funding remains available in consecutive years,
01:41then it will absolutely help the town to flourish.
01:43And if the money runs out, I'll certainly go back and ask for more.
01:46Hopes of renewal in an old town.
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