Asbestos in fibro walls and cladding

Where it is in Bendigo homes

Fibro clads whole streets of 1950s–70s homes in Kangaroo Flat, Golden Square, Eaglehawk and Long Gully. It's also the material of choice for later additions on goldfields-era houses: the fibro sleep-out, the lean-to laundry, the enclosed back verandah. Inside, it lines walls and ceilings, often painted to look like plaster.

How to recognise it

• Flat sheets with cover strips (battens) over the joins, outside or in
• Imitation weatherboard or embossed textures on exterior walls
• A hard, cement-like edge where a sheet is broken or a power point is cut in
• Small dimples or a waffle pattern on the back of a broken piece
• A hollow sound compared with brick, and a hard surface compared with plasterboard

Modern fibre-cement board looks almost identical. Age is the strongest clue: homes built or renovated before 1990 are the likely ones. A lab test confirms it.

Leave it or remove it?

Intact, painted fibro that won't be drilled, cut or sanded is considered low risk and can be left. It needs attention when:

• You're renovating, cutting in windows, moving walls or rewiring
• It's cracked or broken, especially after hail or impact
• It's weathered, with a rough, crumbly surface
• The building is being demolished

Removal rules

Over 10 m² of bonded fibro must be removed by a WorkSafe Victoria Class B or Class A licence holder, with WorkSafe notified first and an independent clearance certificate afterwards. Up to 10 m² may be removed without a licence (no more than an hour of work in any seven days), but the Victorian Government advises against it without asbestos awareness training.

How it's tested

A small piece is taken from an inconspicuous spot, often at a sheet edge or behind a cover strip, using wet methods and hand tools. The hole is sealed straight away. One sample usually represents all the matching sheets on a wall, but different-looking sheets or later additions are sampled separately.

Fibro walls and cladding: common questions