Importation of asbestos-contaminated building materials to Australia: accountability, regulation and stakeholder perspectives
Creators: name: UKWATTE JALATHGE, Lalitha
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 350107
subject: Sustainability accounting and reporting

description: This study examines the monitoring and control measures utilised by the Australian government and building materials importers to ensure importation of asbestos-free building materials into Australia. Key stakeholder perspectives regarding the accountabilities of the Australian government, legal obligations of building materials importers, and building industry users and the implementation of regulatory policy by the Australian Federal Government have been analysed.
 
The issue of asbestos contamination must be taken seriously as asbestos-contaminated products have been identified to be highly lethal, hazardous and of high-risk. Consequently, Australia introduced a legal prohibition against the use, reuse, import, transport, storage or sale of all forms of asbestos and asbestos-contaminated materials within Australia with effect from 31 December 2003, and this includes utilising and importing asbestos-contaminated building materials. Despite these regulatory actions, interviews with stakeholders, survey data from the Australian Border Force (ABF) and 206 counter accounts in the media or online in Australian government, industry organisation, NGO and social group websites during the period from 2003 to 2018 provide evidence to the contrary.

The key motivation for this study is the existence of accountability and governance issues that prevent effective implementation of the policy to ban asbestos in Australia. The health hazards related to asbestos are well-known, and policies to ban asbestos with zero tolerance were introduced in 2003. However, the country is still struggling to implement these policies. This study has revealed weaknesses in the control and monitoring systems, as well as gaps in the control processes implemented by the Australian government, building materials importers and building industry users. Moreover, the study further revealed gaps in the accountabilities of the Australian government, building materials importers and building industry users, and these deficiencies are analysed in detail.

Primarily, this study can be defined as a theoretically informed policy study. The concept of coercive isomorphism in institutional theory, stakeholder theory and the notion of government accountability provide the theoretical foundations used to examine the underlying stakeholder expectations of asbestos-free building materials, a more robust regulatory presence, and government and business accountability for failing to meet their obligations. The study reveals the possibilities of employing stakeholder theory and institutional theory in a policy framework for strengthening accountability and governance.

This theoretically informed policy study predominantly assesses the existing accountability and governance mechanisms to identify a framework that will support effective implementation of the regulations to ban asbestos in Australia. This research especially draws on sustainability accounting to provide a theoretical framework for the planning and implementation of policy. This study highlights how theories can be utilised beyond academia and taken into public practice.

The key findings of the study demonstrate the lack of coordination among the relevant government organisations as well as the lack of adequate resources and the need for stricter enforcement measures to fully implement the necessary monitoring and control measures.  The key recommendation from this study is for more reliable enforcement measures at the Australian border and a call for better implementation of the existing control, monitoring and self-regulatory measures by building materials importers and building industry users. The findings of this study have the potential to guide the regulatory process required to implement quality controls, monitoring and enforcement to achieve an absolute ban on the importation of asbestos-contaminated building materials into Australia.