The City of Geelong in Victoria has decided it is time to start working on a solution to remove asbestos from public coastal land in North Geelong, in the State of Victoria.

After receiving expert advice on the best possible solutions for removing asbestos, the council will work with the Environment Protection Authority to formulate an action plan.
These actions come after a Geelong Advertiser investigation revealed that the area has been contaminated with asbestos for at least 20 years.

It has been reported that the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), who are said to have initially owned the land, have known about the asbestos at this site for around some time. However they apparently did not take any action as they claim on every inspection of the site there was only minimal amounts of asbestos.

This public costal area is now managed by the council and they are committed to cleaning up the site and finding the best way to remove all asbestos.

The removal of asbestos from any public area is important as even minimal exposure to asbestos can lead to a person developing the cancer of mesothelioma. Victorian mesothelioma compensation claims have been brought following a person being exposed to relatively small amounts of asbestos then developing mesothelioma.

The lower house chamber of the South Australian Parliament has been closed indefinitely after tests showed the presence of asbestos.

Workers contracted to re-paint the chamber’s ceiling discovered asbestos fibres in the paint of the 130-year-old canvas awning and also asbestos in the dust disturbed in the ceiling space, which is connected to the chamber’s air-conditioning system.

Further testing has been planned, with experts instructed to check for more asbestos and other dusts such as lead dust and also bacteria.

Speaker Lyn Breuer said yesterday that the investigation and potential removal of the asbestos could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a minimum time frame of six week before the chamber is safe for parliament to sit again.

Estimates Committee meetings are being moved to another part of Parliament House in Adelaide this week, with a decision on parliamentary sittings for next week to be taken later on.

Asbstos is a dangerous substance that has been known cause the rare cancer mesothelioma. Claims for mesothelioma compensation have taken place before in South Australia and also other Australian states such as New South Wales and Victoria.

South Australia has one of the highest incidences of Mesothelioma in the world. The South Australian parliament introduced specific legislation a number of years ago to assist South Australian asbestos compensation claims, such as compensation claims for Mesothelioma. South Australian Mesothelioma compensation claims are now case managed by the Court to ensure expedition of such asbestos claims.

Australian trade unions are calling on the government to make the country completely asbestos-free by 2030.

According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Australia had the highest per capita use of asbestos globally between the 1950’s and 1980’s. After this time, over 9,000 cases of mesothelioma have sprung up in Australia, with the Australian government only banning asbestos use in the workplace eight years ago.

However the Australian government is concerned with the potential costs associated with ridding Australia completely of asbestos, since asbestos can only be removed by licensed abatement professionals, whose time and equipment can be costly. Such costs are necessary to minimize the risk of workers and the public developing mesothelioma, asbestosis or other asbestos-related diseases as a result of the removal work.

The Australian government’s asbestos management review is currently working on a national plan for asbestos removal, with the final report due later this month.

Unfortunately, cases of mesothelioma have occurred in Australia following home handymen undertaking their own work with asbestos products, later developing the asbestos related cancer. Mesothelioma compensation claims have been made in some of such circumstances.