Media Releases Archives - Advocacy Australia

Naturally Occurring Asbestos: Hidden Risks for Rural and Regional Australians

November 4, 2026

MEDIA RELEASE: 5 November 2026 Naturally Occurring Asbestos: Hidden Risks for Rural and Regional Australians November is National Asbestos Awareness Month – Friday 27 Nov is Asbestos Awareness Day 2026 During National Asbestos Awareness Month (1-30 November), the Asbestos Education Committee is urging landowners and property managers in rural and regional areas where Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) is known to download the free Naturally Occurring Asbestos – Asbestos Management Plan Guide to manage NOA safely. NOA is a mineral that occurs ‘naturally’ in some rocks, sediments and soils in Australia including in areas of the NSW Central West. If covered…

ONE LIFE LOST EVERY TWO HOURS: AUSTRALIA’S DEADLY ASBESTOS LEGACY

November 3, 2026

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MEDIA RELEASE: 3 NOVEMBER 2026 AUSTRALIA’S DEADLY ASBESTOS LEGACY: ONE LIFE LOST EVERY TWO HOURS November is National Asbestos Awareness Month – Friday 27 November is Asbestos Awareness Day 2026 Every two hours and eleven minutes, one Australian dies from an asbestos-related disease caused by exposure to asbestos fibres; that’s 11 Australians every day, 77 every week and 333 every month totalling over 4000 preventable deaths every year – three times the national road toll (1,334 September 2026). Chair of the Asbestos Education Committee, Clare Collins said, “Australia’s national asbestos crisis will continue because many remain unaware or…

GOLDEN NIGHT FOR ADVOCACY AUSTRALIA’S “PR FOR GOOD TEAM” AT THE 50TH NATIONAL PR INDUSTRY AWARDS

September 21, 2026

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Unfunded, volunteer-run charity takes home more Gold Awards than any other organisation or agency at the Communication and Public Relations Australia’s National Golden Target Awards 2026. Sydney, 21 September 2026: Volunteer-run charity, Advocacy Australia, has taken home three Gold awards and one Silver from five nominations at the 50th Communication and Public Relations Australia’s 2026 National Golden Target Awards (GTA’s) —Winning more Golds than any other organisation, not-for-profit (NFP), government body or PR agency. The 2026 awards celebrated 50 years of Australia’s longest running and most prestigious awards for the communication and public relations industry, recognising the leading campaigns, practitioners,…

Latest Alleged Killing Reinforces Case for MHRT Reform and Greater Public Accountability

July 20, 2026

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TODAY, Advocacy Australia renewed its calls for scrutiny and reform of the Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT) relating to its lack of transparency and accountability in managing forensic patients who are known violent offenders or killers following the reported killing of 74-year-old grandfather Quang My Pham on 11th July by a man believed to have been a recently released forensic mental health patient with a violent history. Clare Collins, Chair of Advocacy Australia said, “While the NSW Government announced an inquiry in June this year, many fear that it has come too late with unconfirmed reports that the alleged killer…

Winner 2026 Queensland New Volunteer Award

May 18, 2026

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MEDIA RELEASE: MONDAY 18 MAY 2026 Phil Smith of Mackay Wins “Queensland New Volunteer Award” in Queensland Volunteer of the Year Awards 2026 Grief turned into life-saving advocacy following wife Leah’s asbestos-related death BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND – Advocacy Australia and its Asbestos Education Committee are proud to announce that Mackay volunteer Phil Smith, has been named the recipient of Volunteering Queensland’s “Queensland New Volunteer Award 2026”. Presented by the Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, at Brisbane City Hall on 15 May, the award recognises an individual having demonstrated exceptional dedication and making a significant…

GLOBAL ASBESTOS AWARENESS WEEK (1–7 April)

March 31, 2026

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This week, Advocacy Australia’s Asbestos Education Committee is reminding Australians that asbestos remains one of Australia’s most significant and ongoing public health challenges. More than 4,000 Australians lose their lives each year to asbestos-related diseases – around three times the national road toll – with cases continuing to rise. According to the Australian Mesothelioma Registry Report (2025), diagnoses of malignant mesothelioma have increased year-on-year for both men and women, with experts predicting this trend will continue due to the ongoing disturbance of legacy asbestos in the built environment. The data highlights a critical shift: With 1 in 3 Australian homes…

Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT) Inquiry

March 27, 2026

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Advocacy Australia acknowledges Philip Donato for formally requesting an inquiry into the Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT). This request represents a critical step towards addressing long-standing concerns around the management of forensic patients and ensuring victims’ voices are appropriately recognised and considered. Advocacy Australia has been advocating for such an inquiry since launching our Justice For Biddy petition in 2024, which Phil sponsored. It shone a spotlight on the injustices victims face in their interactions with the MHRT and the broader implications for community safety. This progress would not be possible without the courage and persistence of victims and families…

Deadly DIY: Home Renovations Linked to 51% of Mesothelioma Deaths

November 3, 2025

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November is National Asbestos Awareness Month – Friday 28 Nov is Asbestos Awareness Day 2025 With around 4,000 Australians dying from an asbestos-related disease annually, (more than three times the national road toll), and the death toll continuing to rise, National Asbestos Awareness Month (November) aims to save lives by alerting Australians to the dangers of asbestos that lurks in 1-in-3 Aussie homes. Conducted by the Asbestos Education Committee, the annual national campaign educates Australians about the ongoing dangers of legacy asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that can remain in any home built before 1990 by providing free tools and resources at asbestosawareness.com.au. If…

Triple Finalist Honour for Advocacy Australia at Golden Target Awards

October 1, 2025

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We are incredibly honoured to announce that today Advocacy Australia has been named a triple finalist in the Communication and Public Relations Australia annual 2025 Golden Target Awards, Australia’s oldest and most prestigious public relations and communications awards. Our Justice for Biddy campaign has been recognised in two categories: Public Affairs & Advocacy Campaign and Not-for-Profit Campaign. With our Co-founders; Clare Collins and Alice Collins – “The Collins Girls”, proud finalists in the Not-for-Profit Team of the Year category. The Golden Target Awards applaud the crème-de-la-crème of strategic thinking, creative execution, and communication excellence nationwide. In 2022, our Asbestos Education…

Advocacy Australia Founder Clare Collins Named Volunteer Of The Year: Sydney & Eastern Suburbs

August 13, 2025

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Advocacy Australia is proud to announce that our founder, Clare Collins, this week was recognised with two prestigious honours at the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards – Sydney City and Eastern Suburbs Region, hosted by The Centre for Volunteering. Clare was named both the Senior (Over 65) Volunteer of the Year and the overall 2025 Sydney City–Eastern Suburbs Volunteer of the Year, in recognition of her exceptional dedication to supporting victims of serious crimes and their families, and her tireless advocacy for asbestos education and awareness. The awards ceremony, held at Club York in Sydney’s CBD, was a moving…

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