A BAN on imports containing chrysotile asbestos has been welcomed in Ballarat.
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The decision to ban the imports containing asbestos by 2003 comes after the Bendix Mintex crisis late last year.
The issue culminated in Bendix Mintex - Ballarat's biggest employer with 800 staff - agreeing to phase out chrysotile asbestos by 2003.
However, the company argued at the time that it would be placed at a competitive disadvantage if ready-made brake lining products containing asbestos continued to be imported from overseas by local retailers.
The decision to ban the imports was made at yesterday's Workplace Relations Ministerial Council in Sydney.
It was attended by the Federal Workplace Relations Minister Tony Abbott and all state ministers.
A spokeswoman for Mr Abbott said the agreement came after several months of work on the issue.
``The Minister is happy that we have been able to come to an agreement and we will be making sure we can do it as quickly as possible,'' she said.
``It was something we have been working on for a while now and we are happy to say that it can be delivered''.
The State Government also welcomed the decision.
Victorian Workplace Relations Minister Bob Cameron said the Government had pushed for this for several months.
``What we didn't want to have is foreign competition being able to export asbestos here after that,'' he said.
``That would be unfair for companies like Bendix Mintex.''
The agreement also incorporates a clause which will stop companies dumping asbestos products in the country before the deadline.
Bendix Mintex was at the centre of last year's asbestos ban crisis.
In November the Maritime Union of Australia placed work bans on the handling of asbestos products on docks.
Bendix Mintex, who import white asbestos for use in their product, claimed the bans threatened 500 Ballarat jobs.
Bendix Mintex recently revealed it had started research and development into manufacturing asbestos-free brake lining products.
An industry insider said the company was confident of meeting the December 31 deadline to eliminate asbestos from its products.
Bendix Mintex declined to comment yesterday.