Asbestos Rules in Australia: What Renovators and Tradies Need to Know in 2026

Asbestos Is Still Australia’s Biggest Renovation Hazard

An estimated one in three Australian homes contains asbestos. It was used widely in residential building until it was phased out of home products by 1990, and a total national ban on the manufacture, import, use, re-use, storage and sale of all forms of asbestos took effect on 31 December 2003.

The legacy is enormous. The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency (ASSEA) estimates around 4,000 Australians die each year from asbestos-related diseases, with roughly six million tonnes of ageing asbestos material still sitting in the built environment. Renovating or demolishing older homes is where tradies and DIYers are most likely to disturb it.

The Exposure Standard: 0.1 Fibres/mL

Safe Work Australia’s workplace exposure standard for airborne asbestos is 0.1 fibres per millilitre of air, measured as a time-weighted average over an eight-hour working day. The same limit applies to all forms — chrysotile (white), amosite (brown) and crocidolite (blue).

One genuine change is scheduled: from 1 December 2026, workplace exposure standards (WES) will be replaced by workplace exposure limits (WELs). This is primarily a renaming, agreed by WHS ministers to make clear these values are limits that must not be exceeded. Asbestos is not among the substances with announced value changes — the 0.1 fibres/mL figure still applies.

Who Can Legally Remove Asbestos

Removal licensing runs through each state’s work health and safety regulator — SafeWork NSW, WorkSafe Victoria and WorkSafe Queensland among them — separate from building licence bodies such as the QBCC or VBA. The rules follow a common pattern:

• Friable asbestos (crumbly material that can be broken up by hand) can only be removed by a Class A licensed removalist, in any quantity.
• Non-friable (bonded) asbestos over 10 square metres requires at least a Class B licence.
• Under 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos can generally be removed without a licence, but safe work procedures and lawful disposal still apply. Victoria is tighter again: unlicensed removal is capped at 10 square metres and no more than one hour of removal work in any seven-day period.

Whatever the quantity, never cut, drill, sand, scrape or water-blast material that may contain asbestos. Regulators consistently encourage engaging a licensed removalist even for small jobs.

Check Before You Start

Workplace buildings constructed before 31 December 2003 must have an asbestos register, and it must be reviewed before demolition or refurbishment work. Private homes carry no register requirement — which is why NSW planning guidance urges renovators to have a professional asbestos assessment done before work starts on any home built or renovated before 1990, and to share the findings with every tradie on site.

Not sure what approvals your project needs? Use our licence and permit checker to find out.

The National Plan

Rather than a wave of new regulations in 2026, the current framework is the Asbestos National Strategic Plan 2024–2030 — the third phase of a coordinated national approach to asbestos awareness, management and removal, endorsed by the Commonwealth and every state and territory and coordinated by ASSEA. Its focus is safe, proactive removal of legacy asbestos, including enhanced regulatory frameworks and research into removal incentives.

Sources and further reading

• Safe Work Australia — workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants and the transition to workplace exposure limits from 1 December 2026.
• Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency — the Asbestos National Strategic Plan 2024–2030 and national asbestos statistics.
• Asbestos in Australia — NSW Government — the one-in-three homes estimate and the 1990 residential phase-out.
• When was asbestos banned in Australia? — NSW Government — the 31 December 2003 total ban.
• Asbestos — NSW Department of Planning — renovation guidance and the 10 square metre rule for homeowners.
• Class B asbestos removal licence — SafeWork NSW — licence classes for friable and non-friable removal.
• Unlicensed asbestos removal — Asbestos Victoria — Victoria’s limits on removal without a licence.
• Asbestos National Strategic Plan 2024–2030 — WorkSafe WA — state endorsement of the national plan.