In August 2013 Turner Freeman was appointed by the then Minister for Industrial Relations, Bill Shorten, to sit on the Council of the newly created Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (ASEA).
Continue to lobby for greater asbestos awareness
ASEA was created on 1 July 2013 as a direct response to the Asbestos Management Review Report commissioned by the Gillard government to make recommendations for the development of a national strategic plan to improve awareness and management of asbestos in Australia.
ASEA will provide a national focus on asbestos issues both in the workplace and beyond. ASEA will administer the National Strategic Plan on Asbestos Awareness and Management and the National Asbestos Exposure Register. Its main focus will be co-ordinating approaches within the different States of Australia in relation to the identification and removal of asbestos from commercial buildings, government buildings and private dwellings and in relation to education and awareness programmes.
The Council is comprised of representatives from various States, the Commonwealth, unions and employers. Turner Freeman is one of the two independent members of the Council along with Barry Robson from the Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia.
This appointment to the Council continues the work of Turner Freeman in lobbying for greater awareness of the dangers of exposure to asbestos and working towards the goal of Australia being asbestos free by the year 2030.