Queensland's Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace is demanding the release of a secret asbestos report after the potentially deadly material was recently found at a Brisbane construction site.
She has written to Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton, urging him to make public an independent review of Australia's asbestos border control management, which was completed in March but kept confidential.
The development comes after asbestos was found in imported products used during the construction of the state government's controversial new executive building in William St.
"Matters of critical public health and safety such as this should not be the subject of secret, confidential reports," Ms Grace wrote.
"The public has the right to know what measures the federal government intends to take to tighten current controls and ensure the 2003 ban on the importation of this deadly substance is 100 per cent effective."
Ms Grace called for the report's immediate release and for all of its recommendations to be adopted.
"It is incumbent on the federal government to take an absolute zero tolerance approach to this issue and stop the importation of asbestos once and for all," she said.
A spokeswoman for Mr Dutton said he was yet to receive the letter.
"The fact that Minister Grace would play politics on such a serious issue is a poor reflection of her," she said.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating how asbestos-laden gasket material imported from China was able to make its way to the Brisbane work site.
A report into the incident is being completed by state bureaucrats.
The controversial 46-storey skyscraper, which will replace the tired George St executive building, was commissioned by the former Newman Government.
Treasurer Curtis Pitt last year labelled the tower the "biggest financial debacle in Queensland's history".
