Research to support the implementation of phase two of the ANSP focussed mainly on understanding asbestos awareness levels in specific cohorts to measure progress against Target 1 and to inform ASSEA’s National Asbestos Awareness Campaigns.
National Asbestos Awareness Surveys 2020–2022
Raising awareness about asbestos safety and asbestos‑related diseases is one of ASSEA’s key functions. Nationally representative surveys, to measure progress towards Target 1 of the phase two ANSP, were undertaken in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
In 2022, we evaluated knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and information needs regarding asbestos risks in three key cohorts of interest: homeowners and home occupiers, workers in workplaces with ACMs and tradespersons in contact with ACMs. The survey report and jurisdictional factsheets outline key findings and insights into asbestos attitudes and awareness across Australia.
In 2021, an online survey assessed asbestos awareness levels, attitudes and behaviours amongst home improvers. The findings of this research revealed a more nuanced understanding of different ‘home improvers’ – identifying five distinct clusters of similar people to help prioritise future communications and engagement activities:
- financially vulnerable DIYers
- multicultural young urbanites
- well-heeled DIY enthusiasts
- financially comfortable families
- cautious older outsourcers
Obtaining a deeper understanding of these segments involved a qualitative study in the form of interviews and focus groups to gauge if there were demographic differences which impacted attitude and behaviours towards asbestos safety.
Real Estate Agents and Property Managers
In 2020, research with real estate agents and property managers using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, aimed to gain an understanding of their knowledge and attitudes towards managing asbestos risks, with a particular focus on how this influences their engagement with buyers, sellers and tenants.
The research explored the following awareness and attitudinal indicators among real estate agents and property managers:
- awareness of the dangers of asbestos
- knowledge of where asbestos is present and in what states it presents greatest risk
- extent to which asbestos is raised/discussed with buyers/sellers/tenants
- asbestos information sources aware of and used
- property types dealt with and where an asbestos register is required
- actioned undertaken when asbestos is present
- participation in formal asbestos training.
Return on Investment to enable Safe Prioritised Asbestos Removal in Australia, September 2019
Adept Economics, in conjunction with Queensland Economic Advocacy Solutions (QEAS) assessed the emerging business case for the safe prioritised removal of asbestos, with the aim of strengthening the evidence base. The assessment involved a literature review and summary of findings from stakeholder consultations on the topic. A checklist was also developed to capture all the information required for businesses and government to calculate the Return on Investment (ROI) from safe prioritised asbestos removal, that is, how many dollars of benefits are obtained per dollar of costs. If lifecycle benefits exceed costs, then the upfront investment in asbestos removal, which can be substantial, would be worthwhile.