A SCIENTIFIC report which could reveal the cause of death of a five-year-old Mount Isa boy is being withheld from his mother and the State Government by the Mount Isa Community Development Association (MICDA).
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The association has ignored Housing Minister Bruce Flegg's plea to release the report on the water in an air-conditioning unit that could hold the key to the death of Kesler James who died on February 25 of pneumonic conditions believed to have been caused by the unit in the house under MICDA's care.
Kesler died almost three months ago of "undetermined causes", according to his death certificate, but his mother, Jennifer James, believes a faulty, poorly maintained air-conditioner was to blame for the illnesses which led to his death.
Ms James said a Residential Tenancies Authority staff-member told her the air-conditioners in MICDA's Miles Street units where she lived had not been serviced properly before Kesler's death.
"They told me that the air-conditioners were not maintained and said they had no idea where the money (allocated for the service) had gone for that because they should have been done," Ms James said.
Another tenant at the public housing unit complex, Jodie Carney, said she and other tenants received a letter in the mail from MICDA almost a month ago, notifying tenants that the air-conditioners were due to be serviced, but nothing was done.
"They had not been serviced in the eight months I have lived here. They did nothing until the story went into the paper (The North West Star) on Monday, then they came that day to clean them," Ms Carney said.
Ms Carney said when she moved into her unit it was dirty, graffiti lined the walls, floors were dirty and the laundry ceiling was leaking.
"There was mould in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The water is still going into the ceiling," Ms Carney said.
Ms James said all she was asking for was justice for herself and her children.
"I just want what is rightfully mine; I am not out to vilify anyone," Ms James said.
"I just want justice for Kesler and my other kids.
"This is not personal; it is about my kids and other kids (in those units) living in dangerous conditions."
Ms James said she would sue MICDA for the water results if necessary.
"I would rather they just give them (the test results) to me so we don't have to go through all of that," she said.
"I think that they think when people have a lot of kids that the house is going to be trashed anyway, so what does it matter where they put us."
MICDA president Octavian Sencariuc said his organisation followed the maintenance regime that was according to the standards.
"Government agencies check up on us. We produce the reports as required," Mr Sencariuc said.
A spokesperson for a local air-conditioning company said evaporative air-conditioners should be serviced at least once every six months.
"When you replace the air-conditioner, you should replace the ducts if need be, due to rust," the spokesperson said.
"A lot of old houses have old, galvanised sheet metal ducts."
A spokesperson for the Office of the State Coroner said the death of Kesler James had been reported to the Northern Coroner in Cairns for investigation.
"A cause of death has not yet been determined as the pathologist is awaiting further test results," the spokesperson said.
"The Office of the Northern Coroner has been in contact with the family and will keep them updated as more information becomes available."
Mrs James said she was told by hospital staff that one of Kesler's conditions was rheumatic fever - an illness traditionally related to poverty and squalid living conditions.