Acceptable Risk: Asbestos

Asbestos was once hailed as a ‘miracle material’ – strong, versatile and resistant to heat. It became a staple of Australian construction, shipbuilding and manufacturing throughout the 20th century. Yet, as early as the 1930s, medical evidence linked asbestos exposure to serious illness, including asbestosis and lung cancer. Despite this, protections for workers remained minimal. Basic dust control measures were introduced in the 1930s, but enforcement was weak – and many industries simply ignored them. 

By the 1960s and 1970s, research confirmed the link between asbestos and mesothelioma, prompting unions and health advocates to demand action. Restrictions followed in the 1980s, leading to a nationwide ban in December 2003 on the manufacture, import and sale of asbestos products. Today, strict laws regulate its removal and management, requiring trained, licensed contractors and protective gear. 

The 1985 documentary Acceptable Risk – produced for the Australian Postal and Telecommunications Union – gives this history a human face. In the featured clip, former linesman Albert Lucas reflects on losing ‘25 good years’ to asbestos-related disease. Filmed in his dressing gown, his quiet testimony captures the personal toll of corporate neglect. Intercut with typewritten notes alleging employer cover-ups and interviews on other workplace hazards such as electromagnetic radiation, the film exposes how organisations long defined ‘acceptable risk’ without consulting workers. Raw and advocacy-driven, Acceptable Risk stands as a powerful indictment of delayed regulation – and a reminder that safety standards were hard-won through workers’ persistence. 

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