The Latrobe Valley Asbestos Taskforce, which was established in response to community concerns regarding the handling of asbestos-containing material following the closure of two power stations in Gippsland, has released a report which calls for Victoria to establish a central body to handle concerns about asbestos and its use, handling and disposal.
The report, released today, makes 21 recommendations to the Minister for Environment and Climate Action Lily D’Ambrosio. The recommendations include establishing a register of asbestos-related deaths, rules for how homeowners handle ACM on private property and amendments to existing occupational health and safety legislation.
The recommendations also cover increased community education campaigns and establishing a scheme to deliver compulsory asbestos reports when properties are sold or rented for residential purposes if they were built before 1990.
The chair of the taskforce, Jane Anderson, noted that she was concerned that there is no central body that is responsible for asbestos materials in residential areas.
“People don’t know where to go for help, and so they can’t readily access the information needed,” Ms Anderson said in a statement.
“There is no clear line of authority, and it is very concerning that across all sectors of the community, the real impacts and risks of asbestos exposure are not fully understood.”
She pointed to the high number of asbestos-related disease deaths in Australia each year, which is approximately 4,500.
“It is a significant problem that is not going away,” she said.
“The implementation of these recommendations will change the approach to managing legacy asbestos right across the whole state, and will result in lives being saved.”