NSW Ombudsman wrote two case studies about Wallaga Lake asbestos

That is leading to poor physical and mental health, compounded by a drop in healthcare services over the last two years.

Kenneth Campbell said all the agencies know about the asbestos in the village.

"It has existed for generations and is now on the surface of the ground," Mr Campbell said.

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The NSW Ombudsman has written two case studies about the village - in 2010 and 2017 - in reports about government agencies' response to NSW's asbestos problem.

The 2017 report said asbestos had been left on site at the village following a federal government housing program in the 1980s.

Old fibro houses were demolished by community members with much of the asbestos-containing material either left on site or built over.

Mr Campbell said the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) visited the village in October 2023 and identified many problem areas including five focus spots for soil remediation.

A December 2022 EPA report said around 30 Aboriginal communities located on former Aboriginal missions and reserves in NSW have asbestos problems.

It said the only way to resolve the problem was removal or remediation which require significant funding.

"Existing funding is piecemeal and extremely limited, with demand far exceeding the ability to respond," the report said.

Mr Campbell said a community garden was built on one contaminated site and that "now we have a lot of kids on asthma pumps".

Kerry Parsons has asbestos visible at the base of power poles at her home.

She said her husband who used to mow lawns has been sick for three years and can barely walk from their house to the front gate.

She said the healthcare service provided to the village by Katungul Aboriginal Corporation Regional Health and Community Services (Katungul) has fallen from two visits per week to one visit every fortnight.

"The biggest thing here is mental health because of how we are living today," Ms Parsons said.

Katungul has been contacted for comment.

NSW Aboriginal Land Council chairman Danny Chapman raised the asbestos issue with NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris on December 10.

Mr Harris had a meeting about it with Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe the same day.

The EPA is trying to pull all the information together.

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