It’s been 20 years since asbestos was banned in Australia, but sadly the threat hasn’t gone away.

Would you believe that we still have more than 6 million tonnes of asbestos in our built environment? This is about half of all asbestos ever consumed in Australia.

Modelling shows that if we are to meander along at the same rate of removal, by the end of the century – 100 years since the ban – we will still have failed to remove all asbestos containing materials.

We need asbestos gone – now.

Australia is currently in the third phase of the Asbestos National Strategic Plan 2024-2030 which sets out a roadmap to remove the more than six million tonnes of asbestos from the built environment over the next 40 years – saving more than 28,000 lives.

The Commonwealth and all state and territory governments have endorsed the plan, representing a commitment to continue the important work being undertaken nationally to address Australia’s deadly asbestos legacy.