Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Hansard source

I have been asked a question about competing methods for dealing with the threat of asbestos. I am pleased to answer that question because this government has got a proud record. This government, in fact, is a world leader.

Nothing excuses Telstra's failure to deliver up to the promises and undertakings it has made to the community. Again, I wish to put on record that I recognise that the CEO of Telstra has shown leadership, as opposed to a small target, by indeed offering his acceptance of responsibility.

But I have been asked about what the best way forward is in terms of dealing with asbestos. I do not resile from the view that the best way to deal with asbestos is not in the long term to leave it in the ground. But on this side we stand for the eventual eradication of asbestos. Asbestos kills people; it kills 700 people a year—it is a dreadful substance, and the people who have produced it over the years have done this in the full knowledge, in my opinion, of the risks it presented.

But if you want to change health and safety, it does take time. There are a lot of people who need to be brought along the path of making Australia's workplaces safer. In my experience it is particularly difficult to change the health and safety direction of large corporations. It is slow and difficult; otherwise it would have happened many years ago. What you have to do is alert them—that is what this government has done—you have to identify the issues, you have to seed ideas into them and you have to put forward suggestions on what should be done. It needs to be done at the highest level. That is what this government has done.

But, indeed, you not only need to challenge organisations—and they normally respond in my experience, as Telstra did: 'We've got it under control'. But then what has happened is that this government has initiated a review of asbestos, we have acted on the recommendations and we have set up the first agency to create a national approach. This government has done a lot, and I have to say that it is a sad day when otherwise respectable members of the opposition seek to tarnish their own reputations by turning this into a political issue.

Asbestos should be a bipartisan issue, and even though he is not in the chamber I extend to the member for Wentworth the opportunity to work with us on how to make asbestos safe, because it does not matter how you take and challenge those pits that are there; under anyone's policy on telcos, if you open one of those pits in the wrong way you will hurt people and you will damage them, and that is what we must fight jointly. (Time expired)

See this speech in context