Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (the agency) revealed in recent reports that more than 64 building sites across Australia contain illegal asbestos;

(b) it is unclear how many building sites have asbestos that has not been detected; and

(c) the agency advised the Senate Economics References Committee, for its inquiry into non conforming building products, that building products containing asbestos are being imported to Australia, contrary to Australian law;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) Australia has one of the highest rates of asbestos related death and injury in the world; we know that 33,000 people have already lost their lives to asbestos; and

(b) around 700 Australians die each year from asbestos related diseases, and without proper management experts worry that tens of thousands of Australians could be diagnosed with asbestos related diseases in coming decades;

(3) condemns the Government's inaction and silence on the dangers of asbestos, despite warnings provided to the Senate Economics References Committee; and

(4) calls on the Government to give greater importance to stopping asbestos importers at the border and immediately increase the penalties for illegal asbestos contamination on Australian building sites.

The motion speaks very clearly for itself. It is basically calling on this government to do more to stop asbestos importers. Asbestos in this country has been banned. The importation of asbestos has been banned. Yet we are now seeing in our papers, in our local media and in reports from the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency more and more reports that there is cheap Chinese imported asbestos in building products finding their way onto Australian building sites.

It is a pretty straightforward motion. It calls on the government to give greater importance to stopping asbestos importers and to immediately increase penalties for illegal asbestos contamination on Australian building sites, and it calls for greater resourcing. Yet nobody on the government side is speaking to this issue. Perhaps they do not care what is going on in Australian building workplaces. Perhaps they want to deny the fact that this issue is occurring. But these are the facts as they have been reported by the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency. It was reported as recently as February this year, after an audit they did, that more than 50 building sites across the nation are suspected of having illegal asbestos contamination from China. This is not a union scare campaign; this is what the agency is saying. The agency's CEO has said that he is aware of 64 sites where asbestos-tainted concrete fibre sheeting is being used in construction. This is a case where in Australian workplaces and on Australian construction sites the contractors are going for cheap, imported products. State workplace safety authorities are monitoring 17 sites in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. It is an issue that is not specific to one state but across all states.

The problem is that the product coming in has been certified as asbestos-free but is not. This demonstrates that there is a lack of resources within Customs—now Australian Border Force—to properly policy this product coming in. The government has failed to resource properly in this space. This deadly substance is being shipped into this country illegally from places like China and it has been certified asbestos-free. It is a popular building product, and it is up to the government to stop this product coming in. Further, it is up to the government to make sure there are tough penalties in place for companies who import and use this product illegally.

As one advocate said, he is worried that this new wave of asbestos is going to create a new generation of victims, warning that Australia could end up as the waste dump for dodgy product from around the world. He acknowledges that Customs does not have enough resources or manpower to inspect everything coming in. Therefore, it lies with this government to do more. This government needs to do more to stop illegal dumping of dodgy product here in this country. We want to see a government that is proactive about antidumping—that is, by ensuring that any product coming from overseas is safe and can be used in Australian construction sites for building purposes. It is not just about today's construction workers and the fact that they have been exposed to asbestos and dodgy product. It is also about the tenants and future owners of these buildings and constructions, and what it could mean for them in the future.

Asbestos, sadly, is still an ongoing problem in this country. Yet, from this government we have continued silence. I stand here today to condemn the government's inaction and silence on dangerous asbestos despite the warnings that have been provided not just by the agency but by the Senate committee. I call upon the government to give greater importance to stopping asbestos importers in this country.

See this speech in context