Established by the ACT Government the Asbestos Response Taskforce was a coordinated response for Canberrans whose properties contained loose-fill asbestos. TSA’s people were seconded to the Taskforce, integrating with the team to establish a program management office, with responsibility for coordinating the involvement of stakeholders and community across the entire program. 

The largest installer of this product was a company dubbed ‘Mr Fluffy’ which installed loose-fill asbestos in over 1,000 properties from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. The Taskforce was responsible for coordinating the purchase of affected properties, removing the asbestos (by complete demolition) and selling the remediated sites through a coordinated property sales program. 

TSA developed a master program of activities and associated management plans. Providing the Taskforce with the capability to plan the works, monitor progress and identify time and cost-related opportunities and resource constraints. 

A critical challenge we overcame was to understanding the needs and requirements of a range of people and allowing timely consultation. This lead to extensive, effective and considerate communication with the Canberra community and all homeowners affected by Mr Fluffy.

We also led the development and implementation of an online program management system. This system provided a centralised platform that all project team and contractors used to collaborate through the upload, viewing and reporting of information for a holistic approach to the program.