Top Stories Politics Courts General Finance Sport World FactCheck

Factual. Independent. Impartial.

Support AAP with a free or paid subscription

Subscribe to AAP News Download our app

Factual. Independent. Impartial.

Support AAP with a free or paid subscription

Subscribe to AAP News Download our app

Latest news: Hazardous Materials

Plea for task force to dig into growing asbestos crisis

Plea for task force to dig into growing asbestos crisis

Pressure is mounting on the Victorian government to follow the lead of NSW by setting up a task force to get to the bottom of Melbourne's asbestos crisis.

Asbestos problem grows after three more park detections

Asbestos problem grows after three more park detections

Asbestos problem grows after three more park detections

Asbestos problem grows after three more park detections

The number of sites affected by asbestos continues to grow, with three Melbourne reserves closed following the discovery of the toxic fibres.

Asbestos detected at three more Melbourne parks

Asbestos detected at three more Melbourne parks

Asbestos detected at three more Melbourne parks

Asbestos detected at three more Melbourne parks

Three more parks in Melbourne's southwest have been shut after asbestos material was found, bringing the total of asbestos-contaminated parks to five.

Factual. Independent. Impartial.

Subscribe to AAP News

Already a member? Sign in here

Ocean floor littered with plastic pollution: CSIRO

Ocean floor littered with plastic pollution: CSIRO

The ocean floor is littered with up to 100 times more plastic than what is on the surface, a landmark new estimate by the CSIRO suggests.

Dumped or contaminated: parks probe after asbestos find

Dumped or contaminated: parks probe after asbestos find

Environment regulators are investigating whether asbestos found in mulch at a Melbourne playground was illegally dumped or was part of the garden product.

'Be wary about free mulch' amid asbestos fears: agency

'Be wary about free mulch' amid asbestos fears: agency

While testing for asbestos in mulch has found few traces of contamination, the Victorian environment regulator is urging people to remain vigilant.

Asbestos fragments found in Queensland mulch stockpile

Asbestos fragments found in Queensland mulch stockpile

Authorities are trying to locate 24 people who were recorded accessing asbestos contaminated mulch at a central Queensland council depot.

Factual. Independent. Impartial.

Subscribe to AAP News

Already a member? Sign in here

Littering, asbestos fines to double in major crackdown

Littering, asbestos fines to double in major crackdown

Littering, asbestos fines to double in major crackdown

Littering, asbestos fines to double in major crackdown

An asbestos crisis across Sydney has highlighted the urgent need for tighter environmental protection laws.

Asbestos detected at two Queensland sites

Asbestos detected at two Queensland sites

Asbestos detected at two Queensland sites

Asbestos detected at two Queensland sites

A transfer station has been closed and another site under investigation after asbestos was detected in central Queensland.

'I'd prefer action': Premier defends asbestos response

'I'd prefer action': Premier defends asbestos response

'I'd prefer action': Premier defends asbestos response

'I'd prefer action': Premier defends asbestos response

As NSW authorities trace the spread of recycled asbestos-tainted mulch, the premier has dismissed a call to establish an inquiry into the waste industry.

Aussie farms polluted with plastic from sewage sludge

Aussie farms polluted with plastic from sewage sludge

Aussie farms polluted with plastic from sewage sludge

Aussie farms polluted with plastic from sewage sludge

Microplastic pollution typically from synthetic clothes is contaminating sewage sludge used as fertiliser on farms across the nation.

Developer donated asbestos-tainted mulch to parish

Developer donated asbestos-tainted mulch to parish

Developer donated asbestos-tainted mulch to parish

Developer donated asbestos-tainted mulch to parish

Contaminated mulch found at a Sydney parish that required two schools to be tested was donated to the site by a developer.

'Heartbreaking' scenes as fire-hit communities rebuild

'Heartbreaking' scenes as fire-hit communities rebuild

'Heartbreaking' scenes as fire-hit communities rebuild

'Heartbreaking' scenes as fire-hit communities rebuild

Residents in Victorian towns face a recovery that could last up to three years as locals return to survey the damage caused by bushfires to their properties.

Taylor Swift fans assured mulch issue won't stop shows

Taylor Swift fans assured mulch issue won't stop shows

Taylor Swift fans assured mulch issue won't stop shows

Taylor Swift fans assured mulch issue won't stop shows

Asbestos-tainted mulch has been found at further sites as the NSW Environment Minister blames regulatory failure for the growing scandal.

Factual. Independent. Impartial.

Subscribe to AAP News

Already a member? Sign in here

Bushfire evacuees return to homes and businesses

Evacuees are starting to return to a town in Victoria's west where more than two dozen homes were lost to bushfires believed to have been sparked by lightning.

Asbestos-tainted mulch potentially at hundreds of sites

Hundreds of sites are due to be tested for contaminated mulch including some outside Sydney as an expert group is formed to speed up the investigation.

Asbestos kills off Mardi Gras fair, shutters school

Asbestos-tainted mulch is to blame for the closure of a primary school in Sydney's southwest and the cancellation of a major Mardi Gras festival event.

Primary school shut for weeks in asbestos mulch scandal

Recycled mulch should never have been laid in a school from which 700 pupils must now relocate for several weeks due to an asbestos find, it has been revealed.

Access five free articles per month

Subscription Options

Already a member? Sign in here

Legal fight brewing as park asbestos scandal spreads

A landscaping supply company intends to fight an "unreasonable" prevention notice as more asbestos-contaminated mulch is detected across Sydney.

Supply chain under scrutiny after school asbestos find

Fragments of asbestos have been found at NSW government projects including a park, train stations and a school, while a hospital is being assessed.

Asbestos found in mulch at NSW public primary school

Students at a NSW primary school will start their week remotely after the EPA confirmed the presence of bonded asbestos in recycled mulch used there.

Tougher penalties flagged for illegal asbestos disposal

The discovery of asbestos at a Sydney park has focused attention on disposal of the material and the adequacy of fines for those caught doing the wrong thing.

NSW lagging other states on contaminated soil oversight

Calls to better empower NSW's environment regulator are growing after concerns were raised about its ability to monitor contaminated soil.

Asbestos fragments found in Sydney council park mulch

The spread of asbestos-tainted mulch across Sydney appears to have expanded after an audit of park projects in the city's west.

Concerns grow about spread of asbestos-tainted mulch

Backyard mulch testing has been floated after even more asbestos was found in recycled mulch in transport sites across Sydney.

Topics

Politics Australia New South Wales Victoria Queensland Environmental Issue Health Weather Fire Environmental Politics Education Government Road Transport Investigation Agriculture Environmental Pollution Construction and Property Festive Event (including Carnival) Natural Disasters Meteorological Disaster

No opinion, no spin, no agenda.

Support AAP News

Already a member?
Sign in here