Asbestos Awareness Week: an enduring and deadly legacy

Asbestos use has a deadly legacy in Australia.

But it’s not just in our past: still today, more than 4,000 Australians die from asbestos-related disease every year.

Tragically, that number continues to climb, despite Australia banning asbestos more than 20 years ago, following a hard-fought battle led by union members.

When you’re diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease like mesothelioma, you have, on average, just 155 days left to live. Less than six months.

This is a dramatic reminder of the cost everyday Australians pay when big business put profits above workplace health and safety.

An enduring and deadly legacy

National Asbestos Awareness Week is all about raising awareness about the dangers of ageing and deteriorating asbestos. 

Because, in addition to the growing burden of asbestos-related disease, six million tons of asbestos remains in our built environment.

This presents a substantial health risk to everyday Australians and removing asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) from our workplaces and homes is key to saving lives. 

If progress remains at its current rate, we will still have 1 million tons remaining all around us by the end of the century – which will translate to another 30,000 Australians losing their lives to asbestos-related disease.

This loss of life is preventable, and super-charging the rate of removal is one of the core things union members are fighting for. 

Justice for asbestos victims

The long, union-led battle to ban the use, re-use, import, export and sale of all forms of asbestos was finally won on 31 December 2003.

Unfortunately, a ban can’t turn back time, and the damage was done. But union members were also instrumental in campaigning for justice through compensation for workers who had already contracted – and would later contract – asbestos-related illnesses.

An important milestone was in 2007 when the notorious James Hardie company agreed to a compensation deal for its former employees. 

This was a huge win for the workers involved – and only came about thanks to a huge union-led campaign, anchored in solidarity, and which attracted tremendous media attention.

Campaigning both here in Australia and abroad

Australian unions have a proud history in banning asbestos, and continue to be active in our regional efforts – particularly throughout South-East Asia – supporting workers and unions to effect bans of asbestos today. 

Union Aid Abroad, APHEDA, is leading the movement in this effort through its Not Here. Not Anywhere campaign. 

As well as being involved in global campaigns to stop the use of asbestos, union members are fighting now for a new National Strategic Plan (NSP) that will see new rights for workers to force employers to remove asbestos from our workplaces.

Workers will always be people first and union members will always stand up to protect workers.