Removing mulch will not fix this crisis

Non-friable or bonded asbestos, we are told, is safe. That’s true, assuming the glue still bonds the fibres and it remains undisturbed. But asbestos cement manufacturing in Australia ceased in the mid-1980s. That means the asbestos fibre cement in our buildings is now between 40 and 100 years old, and its bonding agent no longer glues the fibres together effectively. Tests around the world have demonstrated that such old asbestos cement is now past its used-by date. The bonding is no longer effective, and when the fibro is exposed to the wind and rain, it sheds fibres that scatter through the surrounding environment.

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So the next time you walk past a decaying corrugated roof or fence, hold your breath! In Perth, where there are kilometres of Super Six fences, even the dogs contract mesothelioma – from scratching the fences and breathing the dust.

We have a major national problem requiring a coordinated, whole-of-government response to deal with it.

Governments must provide free asbestos disposal sites and incentives so builders and others no longer dump the waste wherever they can. For those who protest, the cost would be prohibitive – what is the cost of the current remediation of schools, parks and playgrounds, and future clean-ups, let alone the potential cost in the lives of those exposed today who might die in 30 years?

There is such a response, developed over the past decade by the federal government’s Asbestos and Silica Safety & Eradication Agency (ASSEA). Its draft Third National Strategic Plan is currently with minister Tony Burke, following years of consultations with stakeholders, including government agencies, local councils, unions, asbestos community groups and others.

It is due to be considered by the next meeting of the relevant state and territory ministers. If adopted, it will mean that Australia will finally have a coordinated action response to deal with an ongoing national tragedy, to identify, then remove all asbestos from our built environment in prioritised order according to risk, and dispose of it safely.

The cost of doing so will be cheaper than the continuing expense of piecemeal cleanups and closures every time the media discovers another asbestos hazard, not to mention the ongoing health costs to the victims of asbestos.

As the country that once had the world’s highest usage of asbestos cement, we need to seize this opportunity to rid ourselves of a scourge that currently claims 4,000 Australian lives every year.

Matt Peacock is a former ABC journalist and director. His book Killer Company exposed how James Hardie concealed an asbestos tragedy likely to kill or maim an estimated 20,000 Australians.