The Australian Academy of Science is calling for indoor air quality performance standards in public buildings including a workplace reporting standard.
Academy president, Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC, said Australia does not monitor indoor air to scientifically acceptable standards, despite most exposure to airborne pathogens and other pollutants occurring indoors.
“What we do know is that indoor air pollution has a negative impact on our health and there are available technological and policy solutions to address it,” Professor Jagadish said.
A new report launched last week by the Australian Academy of Science provides the latest scientific evidence on the issue and explores the policy pathways to improve indoor air quality in Australia.
The report entitled The Science of Indoor Air and Pathways to Improve Indoor Air Quality in Australia was launched at Parliament House in Canberra at the Safer Air Project’s second annual conference.
Academy Fellow, world-leading expert on indoor air and winner of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska, is the lead expert for the report.
“Every drop of water we drink from the tap and the food that we eat are both highly regulated, yet indoor air is not regulated at all,” she said.
“We know poor indoor air quality poses significant health risks to Australians, with exposure to pollutants linked to respiratory illness, allergies, and chronic health conditions.
“Illnesses such as colds, flu, and COVID-19 can spread in the air we breathe, particularly indoors and 2025 has just been confirmed as the worst year on record for influenza in Australia. How much evidence do governments need to act on this issue?”
Founder of the Safer Air Project, Plum Stone, said despite a large body of evidence about the scale of the problem, decision-making authorities have been slow to act.
“We all breathe the same air, but not with the same consequences. Millions of people with chronic health conditions are being put at risk, or quietly excluded, because we haven’t yet recognised poor indoor air quality as an accessibility issue,” Stone said.
“We have the tools. What we need now is to mandate indoor air quality performance standards that effectively reduce the risk of exposure to pathogens and pollutants, and to make real-time data visible for all.”
Meanwhile, New South Wales has launched Australia’s first parliamentary inquiry into clean indoor air.
The inquiry will accept submissions until Friday, 12 December.
Dr Amanda Cohn from the NSW Greens is chair of the inquiry committee.