There are many pathways the NSW government can take to respond to asbestos. Frameworks already exist for many of the places in which asbestos appears such as waste streams and workplace safety. But there is always room to improve and better connect existing systems together.
We can and should be ambitious in the goals we set. In 2021, the NACC launched its first strategic agenda: Asbestos in NSW: Setting the Direction 2021–2022 (Setting the Direction) to signal its ambitious goals and to drive action at a strategic level.
The Next Horizon sets out the longer-term agenda for NSW that will be driven by State, local and Commonwealth agencies participating on the NACC as well as the peak body for local government. The Australian Government Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency (ASSEA) has also released Phase Three Asbestos National Strategic Plan to further facilitate the safe, proactive removal and disposal of asbestos.
On behalf of NSW the NACC has developed the NSW Asbestos Delivery Plan which addresses the priorities set out in Next Horizon and the Phase Three Asbestos National Strategic Plan in one Delivery Plan. This plan outlines the actions NSW agencies will take to meet the strategic commitments of both the Commonwealth and NSW. An asbestos base-case cost analysis conducted by Marsden Jacob Associates informed the development and focus of actions included in the Delivery Plan.
There are many business-as-usual actions carried out by NACC agencies that help us better manage asbestos. The Delivery Plan lists only those activities that require inter-agency collaboration. NACC members will use their agency specific skills, knowledge and available resources to collaborate and drive progress towards the action objectives. While some of the actions in the Delivery Plan started prior to this plan, and others will continue after it, the Delivery Plan actions show how NSW is addressing the strategic aims of the Commonwealth and NSW from now until 2030 as we continue our work towards the elimination of asbestos-related disease in NSW.
