Asbestos-related Claims (Management of Commonwealth Liabilities) Act (ARC Act)
Under the Asbestos-related Claims (Management of Commonwealth Liabilities) Act 2005 (ARC Act), Comcare manages the common law asbestos-related conditions liabilities of the Australian Government and most of its agencies and controlled companies.
Who is covered under the ARC Act
Comcare manages claims made under the Asbestos-related Claims (Management of Commonwealth Liabilities) Act 2005 (ARC Act) from people who have suffered injury, loss or damage from exposure to asbestos for which the Australian Government may be liable. This includes:
- former Commonwealth employees
- former waterside workers (PDF, 11.6 KB)
- contractors and sub-contractors
- tenants of Australian Government owned or constructed premises
- family members of persons who were themselves exposed through contaminated clothing or other means
- visitors
- bystanders
- dependants of persons in any of these categories.
Exceptions to this are:
- the former Postmaster General’s Department, now the Australian Postal Corporation (Australia Post)
- Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra) and their subsidiaries
- Qantas and their subsidiary businesses.
These organisations manage asbestos-related claims themselves.
Asbestos claims management
The ARC Act sets out how Comcare manages claims made by people diagnosed with asbestos-related conditions and their dependants.
See more information about how to make an asbestos-related claim.
More information
For more information:
- email asbestos.claims@comcare.gov.au
- call us on 1300 366 979
- write to Asbestos and Common Law, Comcare, GPO Box 9905, Canberra ACT 2601.
