The Chair for the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Council, Diane Smith-Gander officially launched the National Strategic Plan Progress Report 2016-17 at the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Summit in Canberra this week.
2016-17 was the second full year of the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Management and Awareness 2014-18 and agency chief executive officer Peter Tighe said: "I am pleased to report that significant work continues to be undertaken across Australia by all governments contributing to the deliverables and outcomes of the plan.
"Total activities reported to the agency have increased by 25% since last and it shows that the transparent and coordinated approach taken by all governments has had a positive impact as they work towards the elimination of asbestos-related diseases in Australia,” said Tighe.
“Overall, the report shows that we are achieving impact through greater coordination. Supporting evidence suggests we are seeing more asbestos removed and disposed of than in previous years, but it is too soon to identify significant behavioural change in the general population regarding asbestos risks."
Image sourced from Flickr cc: Liz Burkinshaw