ASBESTOS groups across the country have called for a public inquiry into the navy's continued use of asbestos parts on its ships and bases, which they say is endangering the lives of sailors and other Australian Defence Force employees.
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The Age yesterday revealed that thousands of defence personnel had likely been exposed to asbestos because the navy, in particular, was still using asbestos parts on ships and bases illegally.
But The Age has also learnt the ADF had previously been warned by the Government's workplace watchdog, Comcare, that it was jeopardising the safety of its soldiers, sailors and air force personnel.
The Asbestos Diseases Society of Victoria said news that asbestos parts were still being used by the ADF in 2009, eight years after they were banned across Australia, would shock defence families.
"They understand their kids are going to be exposed to the dangers of warfare, but to find that their enemy also lurks in their own stores and ships, that would be truly shocking. The people of the defence forces deserve better," executive officer Tim Tolhurst said.
"We think there should be some sort of public inquiry to find out what the hell the navy is doing, what's going on behind closed doors, because it does seem to be a shambolic organisation; they don't know what they've got, where it is, it's a real danger."
Robert Vojakovic, president of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia, said the navy was playing Russian roulette with the lives of its sailors.
"It is pretty sad stuff, that our sailors and soldiers, who are fighting to protect Australia, are still fighting another danger in asbestos their own service is exposing them to. An internal inquiry would be a whitewash; it needs to be public, and to involve external people with knowledge of this issue."
Barry Robson, president of the Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia, said he was unsurprised by the ADF's inaction on asbestos, because asbestos groups across the country saw a "steady stream" of former defence personnel suffering asbestos-related diseases.
"Why the navy think they're above the laws that everyone else has had to abide by, I can't understand. For them to go on and on, ignoring the laws, they're risking their people's lives."
Meanwhile, the Australian Defence Association's Neil James said defence's bungled efforts to rid itself of asbestos were symptomatic of long-term under-funding of defence.
In 2006, Comcare issued the ADF with an improvement notice issued for systemic breaches of law warning greater protection was needed for employees and defence contractors. And last year the head of defence's own occupational health, safety and compensation branch, Mal Pearce, warned that Comcare's safety commission was tired of defence's unwillingness to rid itself of the deadly carcinogen.
"The commission was uncomfortable with the recommendation (to grant a further exemption to the ADF to use asbestos).
"A number of commissioners stated that the commission had for some years been very flexible with defence, during which time defence had given repeated assurances that it would fix the problem of chrysotile eradication some commissioners pointed out that a national prohibition on asbestos had existed since 2001."
Yesterday, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said he was alarmed by reports to defence chiefs on the state of the force's asbestos problem.
He blamed the previous government, and a blame-shifting culture within senior ranks of the ADF for the situation.
"I am disappointed that the former government did so little for so long. This lack of leadership cultivated a culture within defence of endless exemptions and waivers."
