The inquiry has brought forward its report by two months because of the urgency of the Mr Fluffy crisis among Queanbeyan and other NSW regional homeowners and has also recommended crisis financial assistance in line with the ACT.

Committee chairman Fred Nile said the issue warranted the immediate attention of the NSW government.

“Although the precise number of affected homes has not yet been established we do know that there are 59 homes that have been identified as being contaminated by loose-fill asbestos insulation state-wide, with the potential for there to be many hundreds more.”

Mr Nile said, “The evidence received by the inquiry makes it clear that if loose-fill asbestos fibres are present in a home then it is ultimately uninhabitable, posing continuing risks not only to residents and visitors but also to the general public. It is for this reason that the committee is recommending the adoption of a state-wide buy-back and demolition scheme for all affected residences, similar to that recently adopted by the ACT government.”

He said the buy-back scheme was the only way the NSW government could achieve “a viable and enduring overall solution” to the Mr Fluffy crisis.

The committee was originally due to complete its report in February 2015 but unanimously agreed to bring forward its reporting date because urgent action was required.

It has also recommended the government provide financial assistance to homeowners as well as free counselling and support.

In addition, it has recommended that legislative changes be made to prevent people from unknowingly purchasing a Mr Fluffy property in future including legislating to force homeowners to disclose if their home is affected.

Further recommendations have been made to protect tradespeople from exposure, including tagging homes and making asbestos training mandatory for tradespeople.