Asbestos Awareness & Betty - The Asbestos Education House

WOMEN’S HEALTH WEEK 💜

This Women’s Health Week, we remember three extraordinary women whose lives were tragically cut short by malignant mesothelioma, but whose stories continue to help protect others.

Carol Klintfält OAM.
Serafina Salucci OAM.
Leah Smith.

Three women. Three families forever changed by exposure to asbestos fibres. Three legacies that continue to save lives through awareness and education.

When Carol and Serafina were diagnosed with mesothelioma, both made the incredibly selfless decision to use the time they had to warn others about the dangers of asbestos. Their courage and determination helped drive asbestos awareness across Australia, and today asbestosawareness.com.au is dedicated to their memory.

Leah Smith was just 49, a much loved wife and mother of two, when she lost her life to mesothelioma in August 2024 following asbestos exposure as a child. One of Leah’s wishes was to raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos so others might be spared the same fate. Today, through her husband Phil, her family, friends and the growing Ride In Shorts For Leah movement, that wish is becoming an extraordinary legacy.

Women’s health is also about prevention.

It is about knowing the risks that may be hidden in our homes and workplaces. It is about having the information to protect ourselves and those we love. And it is about ensuring the lessons learned at such an enormous personal cost are never forgotten.

This Women’s Health Week, we honour Carol, Serafina and Leah, and every woman and family whose life has been changed by asbestos-related disease.

Their stories are why we continue our work.

Because asbestos-related disease is preventable, and awareness can save lives.

Today, Father’s Day, families across Australia will gather to celebrate the special bond shared between fathers and their children.

But for families affected by asbestos related diseases, Father’s Day may not be a day of joy. Instead, it can bring heartbreak and an empty chair at the family table, a painful reminder of a beloved father, grandfather, son or father figure taken far too soon.

The grief caused by asbestos related diseases is profound and enduring. With around 4,000 Australians dying each year from asbestos related diseases, too many families continue to experience this devastating and preventable loss.

Today, our thoughts are with every father living with an asbestos related disease, those mourning a much loved dad, and all the families whose lives have been forever changed by asbestos exposure.

We remember them all.

💙 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CHARITY 💙

Today, on International Day of Charity, we celebrate the people and organisations working to create positive change in their communities.

Advocacy Australia is an entirely volunteer run, registered charity. We receive no government funding, yet we continue to provide vital advocacy and support for victims of serious crime, pursue meaningful reforms, and deliver life saving asbestos education initiatives to help protect Australians.

Every campaign we undertake is driven by compassion, determination and the belief that everyone deserves to be heard, supported and protected.

Your tax deductible donation, no matter the size, will help us continue this important work and give a voice to people who might otherwise go unheard.

Please help Advocacy Australia help others.

Donate today:
https://advocacyaustralia.org.au/support-us/

We’re delighted to announce that Advocacy Australia has been named a quintuple finalist in all five categories entered in the 2026 Communication and Public Relations Australia Annual Golden Target Awards.

Our five finalist nominations recognise work across communications excellence, leadership, team performance and national public interest campaigns:

• Leader of the Year – NFP: Clare Collins
• Professional of the Year – NFP: Alice Collins
• NFP Team of the Year: The Collins Girls
• NFP Campaign: Asbestos Awareness Month 2025 Asbestos Awareness & Betty - The Asbestos Education House
• Small Budget Campaign: Asbestos Awareness Month 2025

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Golden Target Awards, celebrating five decades of excellence in public relations and communications across Australia.

The awards are highly competitive, attracting outstanding campaigns, teams and practitioners from across the profession. To have all five of our entries shortlisted in this milestone year is an extraordinary honour.

For a largely unfunded charity working across victims of serious crime advocacy and asbestos harm prevention, this recognition means a great deal. It reflects the commitment of our volunteers, committees, supporters, partners and the individuals and families who trust us with deeply personal and often difficult experiences.

Our work during the judging period included helping secure the first NSW parliamentary inquiry into the forensic division of the Mental Health Review Tribunal in its 35-year history, supporting victims through parliamentary, media and coronial processes, and delivering Asbestos Awareness Month 2025 on a micro-budget of under $15,000.

Most of all, we are genuinely honoured simply to be in the room alongside such exceptional campaigns, individuals and teams from across Australia. The calibre of this year’s finalists is remarkable, and we are incredibly proud that Advocacy Australia’s work has been recognised among them.

Winners will be announced at the CPRA Golden Target Awards in September.

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While the NSW EPA have announced rolling out free disposal of asbestos-containing materials in 2027 to help prevent illegal dumping, Asbestos Education Committee members, Mathew Klintfält and Bret Baker, president of the Asbestos & Hazmat Removal Contractors Association (NSW) agree the policy could pose public health challenges unless appropriate consultation with industry leaders is conducted. Read more here: https://www.realestate.com.au/news/asbestos-pickup-trial-could-put-nsw-public-at-risk-experts-warn/

Asbestos pick-up trial could put NSW public at risk, experts warn - realestate.com.au An Aussie man has revealed a shock item he found in his yard as experts warn a new crackdown on the illegal act has a critical flaw.

Advocacy Australia and the Asbestos Education Committee welcome today’s announcement by the Minns Government of a new NSW Asbestos Plan of Action, including a two-year trial to provide free household asbestos waste collection and disposal. This is a practical initiative that will help remove financial barriers to safe disposal, reduce illegal dumping and better protect workers, families and communities from unnecessary asbestos exposure.

With one in three Australian homes built before 1990 estimated to contain asbestos, making it easier for homeowners to dispose of asbestos safely is an important step forward. Preventing exposure must always remain our priority.

We commend the Minns Government, Minister Penny Sharpe and everyone involved in developing the Plan of Action, and look forward to seeing these reforms improve asbestos awareness, safety and public health outcomes across New South Wales.

Asbestos removal will be free for households in New South Wales under a two-year trial beginning in 2027.

The move is part of the Minns government's $16 million plan to crack down on illegal dumping of the deadly waste, which costs councils a hefty sum each year.

The reform aims to make communities and workplaces safer.

Click the link below for more details.

This National Volunteer Week we proudly celebrate the extraordinary people behind Advocacy Australia, an organisation that is entirely volunteer run. ❤️

Our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. From supporting families through crisis and advocating for change, to delivering public awareness campaigns and community education, their time, care and commitment help make a real difference to people and communities across Australia.

Over the past year, we have been incredibly proud to see members of our volunteer community recognised for their contributions. Phil Smith from Mackay last week received the prestigious Queensland New Volunteer Award at the Queensland Volunteering Awards for his Ride in Shorts for Leah fundraising and awareness efforts supporting our Asbestos Education Committee, while our co-founder and chair Clare Collins was named 2025 Volunteer of the Year - Sydney City for her ongoing advocacy and support for victims of crime.

Advocacy Australia is made possible by an incredible team of volunteers including our Asbestos Education Committee helping educate Australians about the dangers of asbestos exposure, our Victims of Crime Committee supporting families through unimaginable circumstances, our volunteer Board working behind the scenes, Geoff and Karen Wicks, Betty’s volunteer curators and chauffeurs who have travelled more than 67,000km around Australia helping educate communities about asbestos, and our ambassadors, especially Cherie Barber, who generously support our work and community education initiatives.

No matter the size or scope of a volunteering effort, every contribution matters.

Sometimes the smallest gesture, a conversation, sharing a story, attending an event or simply showing up for someone, can have a lasting impact.

Volunteers are the heart of communities and the driving force behind so many important causes. If you have ever considered volunteering, we encourage you to get involved in a cause you care about. Your time, skills and support could make an enormous difference to someone who truly needs it.

To every volunteer who has contributed to Advocacy Australia, thank you. Your generosity, commitment and compassion help make this work possible every single day.

Happy National Volunteer Week to volunteers everywhere making a difference in communities across Australia. 💙