While the Hazelwood mine fire event was adjacent to the town of Morwell, the smoke plume covered a much broader area extending across the Latrobe Valley and beyond. As a result, the study research streams targeted different areas in order to assess the potential impacts. The aims of each stream determined where the participants were drawn from, with some streams targeting Morwell, others the entire Latrobe Valley, and others further into Gippsland and beyond. The areas targeted by each stream are outlined below:

Adult Survey and associated health assessments

For the Adult Survey and the associated health assessments it was important that we focused on the area which received the highest exposure level to maximise our chance of identifying significant health outcomes. Modelling by the CSIRO showed that Morwell received the highest exposure levels, with less exposure in the surrounding Latrobe Valley towns, and less again in the communities more distant.

The health outcomes in Morwell were compared with those in Sale, which was identified as having a comparable socio-demographic profile to Morwell, but less exposure to the smoke from the Hazelwood mine fire. The findings from this work, coupled with the detailed exposure modelling for the entire area, enabled us to estimate the health outcomes for the wider region.

The Latrobe ELF Study

The ELF study explored whether smoke from the Hazelwood mine fire affected the health and development of babies and children in the years following the fire. This stream covered the entire Latrobe Valley. Young children and babies, including those who were in utero during the smoke event, were compared with a group of young children from the same area but born after the smoke event.

Schools Study

The Schools Study assessed the psychological impact of the smoke event on school-aged children across schools with differing levels of smoke exposure. Schools in Morwell were the major focus, including those schools that evacuated to other sites in Moe / Newborough during the smoke event. The wellbeing and educational outcomes of these children was compared with those in schools elsewhere in the Latrobe Valley. Analysis of NAPLAN educational outcome data included looking at the impacts for the wider region.

Older People Policy Review

This stream focused on older people, their carers, and the organisations that supported them during and following the mine fire. The focus was primarily on those who were most exposed in Morwell but also included discussion with people from the surrounding communities.

Community Wellbeing

This stream involved interviews and focus groups with community members and stakeholders involved in the community recovery activities. While it focused on Morwell, it also included discussions with people from the surrounding communities. In addition, media analysis for the Latrobe Valley region and more broadly was undertaken by searching the archives of local, national and international newspapers, online news media and social media postings. The Community Wellbeing barometer made use of existing data sources for Morwell, Latrobe Valley, and the wider region.

Hazelinks

The above streams were mostly based on working directly with local residents, from infants and their parents up to older people and the community more broadly. This provided an incredibly rich understanding of the health impacts of the smoke event. Another important component of the study was the Hazelinks Stream which made use of health records such as those collected by local hospitals, ambulance service, Medicare, cancer registries and death registries. These datasets provided important health information for the wider Gippsland area, covering the years leading up to and following the fire event.