Ban asbestos exports to India: Aus Senator to Canada

Australia, which has banned the use of asbestos, should step in and ask Canada to halt the exports of the silicate minerals to India where it is widely used, a Labor Senator has said.

Senator from Tasmania Lisa Singh, the first person of South Asian decent to be elected to the Australian Parliament and chairperson of an all-party group on asbestos, was on a visit to India recently where she met anti-asbestos activists.

According to reports, Singh has expressed hope that Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government should make its views known to the Canadians.

"I think that we have to really lead by our own example and really make it very clear that this is simply not on. I mean this is a developed nation, Canada knows better than this. "Canada won't use asbestos themselves but they are quite happy to export it to developing countries to you know, areas where they know they've got that open market because the safety regulations in those countries are not as strong," she said. Read more