Posted on February 27, 2016
Australia banned all forms of asbestos in 2003. Despite this, 2 million tonnes of white asbestos – chrysotile – are still manufactured and used every year.
As recent stories show, some of this is still getting in to Australia. In pre-fab houses, even children’s crayons, asbestos is still being found.
International trade in asbestos is controlled by the Rotterdam Convention. Or at least, it would be, if major chrysotile exporters like Russia allowed it.
The Rotterdam Convention lists all manner of substances which are implicated in health and environmental problems. But to be listed, every single country which is signatory to the Convention must agree – meaning those few countries which use it can hold out.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), along with the Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (APHEDA), has been lobbying the Federal Government and governments in our region to change the Convention to allow substances to be listed with 75% of countries agreeing. A large number of African nations have taken this step, and now, after lobbying by the AMWU and ACTU, the Australian Government has announced that it will do likewise.
The next Conference of the Parties takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, in April this year. The AMWU will be pushing for a strong outcome, the first step towards a world-wide ban.