Australian Government to invest more than $10.5M for asbestos safety

In response to the rising cases of mesothelioma, the Australian Government is set to invest more than $10.5 million to mobilize a national campaign in an effort to protect everyone from asbestos-related diseases, revealed Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten last Tuesday.

In an interview, Shortin said, “Asbestos is a cruel, indiscriminate killer, and because of its widespread use over much of the 20th century, it remains a persistent threat to Australians.”

The aggressive campaign against mesothelioma cancer was launched after more 600 Australians died from mesothelioma in  2010. “For every death attributed to mesothelioma, it’s estimated two further people die from lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos,” Shortin explained.

“Over the next 20 years, up to 40,000 Australians are expected to be diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease. There are children not yet born who’ll die of an asbestos-related disease,” he added.

Mr. Shorten proposed a bill that would establish the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency.

Shortin explains that this bill seeks to guarantee not only victims showing mesothelioma symptoms, but every Australian, that the government is “committed to protect Australians by leading the first nationally coordinated approach to handling asbestos beyond our workplaces.”

The agency is set to execute a plan that will eradicate illegal dumping, promote proper waste management practice, and to launch a policy aimed at the elimination of asbestos-containing materials that are so often detected in government and commercial establishments.

The Bill to establish the agency is now before the House of Representatives. It is the Government’s objective that the agency will start operations from 1 July 2013, explains Safetyculture.com.au.