The owner of a house where 40 workers from Vanuatu were living dismisses concerns of fire risk at the property, where Tasmanian authorities found 56 beds and conditions described as 'poor and unsafe'.
Overloaded power boards, bunk beds crowded into a converted sunroom, poor ventilation and minimal fire safety — this was how about 40 fruit pickers from Vanuatu were housed in north-west Tasmania.
The kitchen had only one working burner, and some of the workers were using portable cookers connected to power boards next to bunk beds, which were in turn connected to other power boards. Following a tip-off, council inspectors made an unannounced visit on February 15, 2023, and found multiple rooms with overloaded power boards.
Two staff members from the Tasmania Fire Service also attended, with one saying firefighters "could very quickly become overwhelmed" if a fire occurred and 40 people were inside, and the other describing the fire safety risk as "very significant".
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