Mornington Shire plans asbestos audit as watchdog raises beach box fears

Asbestos concerns have prompted a sweeping audit of beach boxes on the Mornington Peninsula, with some warning they may need to be urgently replaced.

Mornington Peninsula Shire will assess all beach boxes in its area after the chief executive of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency raised concerns about the condition of the structures in Dromana.

Peter Tighe said photos taken at Dromana showed corrugated asbestos roofs, typical of the material now being categorised as high risk.

“These are corrugated asbestos roofs and would have been fine at the time," he told The Age.

"It’s the 60 years of degradation that is now the problem. They are now in a deteriorated state so the longer they stay, the greater risk it’s going to be."

Asbestos on beach boxes in DromanaCredit: Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency

Asbestos on beach boxes in DromanaCredit: Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency

Asbestos on beach boxes in DromanaCredit: Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency

The Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency identifies high-risk products and decides whether remediation is required.

While the beach boxes are located in Mornington Peninsula Shire, they are managed by the Dromana Foreshore Committee of Management, a volunteer committee appointed by the state government. The committee said it inspected beach boxes each year.

Mornington Peninsula Shire is responsible for Mount Eliza, Mornington, Mount Martha, Safety Beach, Rosebud, Rye, Sorrento, Portsea and Hastings beaches, all - except for Hastings - have beach boxes.

The council said of the 850 boxes or sheds it manages, many contained asbestos because they were built when the material was used extensively.

Australia was one of the world’s highest consumers of asbestos per capita and has one of the highest rates of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Mornington Peninsula Shire manager, property and strategy, Yasmin Woods, said asbestos-containing material was an "important issue" on the Mornington Peninsula.

"The most appropriate methods to assess and mitigate the risks posed by asbestos-containing material on boat sheds is to undertake an audit," she said.

"Tenders are currently being sought for an asbestos audit of the foreshore managed by council. The audit is expected to be completed by the end of the financial year."

The audit will be conducted by an occupational hygienist and provide risk ratings and recommendations for beach-box owners.

Parks Victoria also conducts asbestos audits of its lighthouses and guard houses every five years.

Mary Lalios, the president of the Municipal Association of Victoria, which represents local councils, said property owners were responsible for asbestos removal.

Removal was a relatively straightforward and low-risk process, said Chris Yates, the project manager of MGR Industries, which removes all types of asbestos-containing material.

"It shouldn’t exceed a few thousand dollars, which is not a huge cost relative to the costs of buying a beach box," he said.

Beach box prices have hit record highs in recent years, with a humble timber shack in Brighton fetching $330,000 in December, and the Mornington Peninsula record higher still.

Mr Yates said a number of beach boxes "traditionally contained an asbestos cement sheet corrugated roof - called a 'Super 6' roof - and oftentimes the wall, ceiling and potentially floor linings could be asbestos cement sheet as well".

"Asbestos cement sheet is a 'non-friable' asbestos containing product, and doesn’t really pose any risk to occupiers or the general public if it is in good condition."

But Mr Tighe said the beach boxes in Dromana needed to be "replaced or managed in some way".