In 2011, Australia’s first comprehensive asbestos awareness public education campaign and the asbestosawareness.com.au website was launched in NSW with Asbestos Awareness Week which was funded by SafeWork NSW and James Hardie Industries as part of a compensation agreement between James Hardie and the NSW Government.
The 2011 campaign targeted NSW homeowners and renovators where legacy asbestos-containing materials might be found. It’s focus aimed to drive traffic to the asbestosawareness.com.au website. Content was researched, developed and managed by Insight Communications in consultation with stakeholders, health, work and safety representatives, not-for-profits, medical research organisations, industry experts, and relevant authorities from state and federal governments.
In 2012, Insight developed and launched Australia’s only experiential asbestos education tool, Betty the Asbestos Awareness House. A purpose-built mobile model home, Betty effectively demonstrates where asbestos may be lurking in properties built or renovated before 1990 and directs Australians to authoritative, practical guidance at asbestosawareness.com.au. Since launching Betty has travelled more than 67,000 kilometres across every state and territory except WA and featured at hundreds of council, community, trade and industry events.
Recognising that asbestos poses a national health risk, in 2013, the campaign was rolled out Australia-wide as the National Asbestos Awareness Month Campaign successfully taking awareness of asbestos to all corners of Australia over a four-week period.
From 2013 until 2018, the campaign continued nationally expanding its suite of essential world-first education resources to include tradespersons, commercial property owners and managers, and those living in rural regions where naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) occurs.
The national campaign, the asbestosawareness.com.au website and Betty have received international recognition from medical researchers, academics, asbestos support organisations and industry leaders for sustained contributions to community asbestos awareness, risk management and disease prevention.
In 2018, following changes to program arrangements, including the transfer of oversight from SafeWork NSW to the NSW EPA and the conclusion of James Hardie’s legal obligation to support public asbestos education, the Asbestos Education Committee was disbanded and funding for the Asbestos Awareness campaign and asbestosawareness.com.au came to an end.
Although government funding had ceased, with over 4,000 Australians dying annually (three times the national road toll) and asbestos-related disease mortality projected to continue increasing due to disturbance of legacy asbestos-containing materials during renovation, maintenance and demolition; sustained national awareness and public education remain the only proven prevention strategies to reduce asbestos exposure and save lives.
To ensure these vital public health initiatives could continue, Insight Communications felt compelled to continue the campaign and the website which was created and supported by i-nex.
In 2020, Advocacy Australia was established as a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. In 2021, it established a new Asbestos Education Committee to continue collaboration with industry and government experts, alongside those affected by asbestos-related diseases, to support the ongoing delivery of the campaign and the development of free preventative education resources.
Since the cessation of government funding, Advocacy Australia and its Asbestos Education Committee have continued to deliver this internationally recognised, multi-award-winning public health initiative with extremely limited resources.
Despite its demonstrated effectiveness and national reach, the sustainability of the campaign and its core educational infrastructure is now at risk due to a lack of appropriate funding.
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