The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU), the Australian Council of Trade Unions and Cancer Council Australia have convened a national summit to call for coordinated national action on asbestos removal.

The summit aims to create a coalition involving unions, asbestos disease experts, regulatory bodies and asbestos support groups, who will work towards making Australia asbestos-free by 2030.

AMWU National President, Paul Bastian, said the aim of the summit is to call for the establishment of an independent national authority on asbestos to work across all jurisdictions.

“It’s estimated that asbestos is still present in more than one million Australian homes and many schools, public buildings and workplaces are still contaminated. The problem is compounded by poor community awareness and a disjointed approach from national, state and local governments.”

“We call on the Federal Government to urgently address this issue by creating a dedicated National Asbestos Unit. This unit would act as an information hub and coordinate national action on asbestos removal and education.”

ACTU Secretary, Jeff Lawrence, said unions had campaigned for decades on the dangers of asbestos and have successfully helped secure long-term compensation for people affected by asbestos-related disease.

“It is half a decade since unions secured a ban on the use of asbestos in Australian workplaces, and also negotiated a landmark settlement with James Hardie to ensure it met its obligations towards victims and their families,” Mr Lawrence said.

“But thousands of workers have already died from these diseases and too many workers and their families are still being diagnosed with asbestos related diseases.

“We need to begin protecting the future generations of people who live in homes, go to schools, play sport, and work in asbestos-riddled environments by developing a national strategy for identification and the prioritised removal of asbestos.”

Cancer Council Australia CEO, Professor Ian Olver, said Australia would continue to experience an increase in asbestos-related disease over the next two decades.

“Australia has the highest per capita incidence of mesothelioma in the world and it’s estimated that up to 18,000 Australians are likely to die from this disease by 2020. It can take 20 to 30 years after exposure to asbestos for the symptoms of disease to appear, so we need to do far more to reduce Australians’ exposure to asbestos.”