Government announces landmark CSIRO study on IAQ

The work promises to fill a long-standing information gap. Although various studies have shown the substantial health, wellbeing and economic benefits of improving IAQ, there has not been a definitive figure for the cost of poor IAQ in Australia since the CSIRO estimated in 1998 that it may be as high as $12 billion per year.

Given major developments since 1998, such as the COVID pandemic and the increased incidence of bushfires, that figure is expected to be significantly greater in 2026.

The project was announced by Assistant Minister for Health, Rebecca White, at a Parliamentary Friends of Clean Air Quality Meeting at Parliament House in Canberra, organised by the Safer Air Project.

Paul Hunt, Director – Environmental & Occupational Health at the Australian Centre for Disease Control, also spoke at the event. He said the aim is for the study to be completed by October.

The project will focus on quantifying the economic cost of poor indoor air quality for various indoor settings across selected pollutants, considering health and productivity impacts. It will also develop an interrogatable economic model to inform future policy and investment decisions.

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