The Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (the agency) is a statutory authority established to provide a national focus on asbestos issues that go beyond workplace safety to encompass environmental and public health issues.
The agency came into existence on 1 July 2013 through the enactment of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency Act 2013 (ASEA Act). Section 8 of the ASEA Act sets out the following functions of the agency:
a) to encourage, coordinate, monitor and report on the implementation of the National Strategic Plan;
b) to review and amend the National Strategic Plan as required by the National Strategic Plan or at the request of the Minister;
c) to publish and promote the National Strategic Plan;
d) to provide advice to the Minister about asbestos safety, if requested to do so by the Minister;
e) to liaise with Commonwealth, State, Territory, local and other governments, agencies or bodies about:
i. the implementation, review or amendment of the National Strategic Plan; or
ii. asbestos safety;
f) to commission, monitor and promote research about asbestos safety;
g) such other functions as are conferred on the Agency by or under this Act, the rules or any other law of the Commonwealth;
h) to do anything incidental or conducive to the performance of any of the above functions.
The agency is responsible through its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the Minister for Employment and for financial purposes, operated under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) for the 2017–18 year and the Public Service Act 1999 (PS Act) for staffing purposes.
