Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

Occasionally in this place, more so than others, you have a great privilege. I had that earlier today, in meeting Craig, Kevin and Joanna, who are with us in the gallery now. They have all contracted silicosis. They have all worked—in Kevin's case, for 28 years—at the one company, walking around the site and thinking they were okay and safe. Craig worked at the same Victorian quarry—I think it may be in your electorate, Mr Speaker—for some 36 years. He was diagnosed with silicosis in March 2019. Jo works in the office at Boral. She is 35 and has worked there for seven years, and she told me today that she has two young children.

They are brave, they are courageous and they're coming forward to this House to tell their stories. These are stories which, unfortunately, are very familiar to those who follow diseases like asbestosis—companies ignoring what they knew were the risks and placing workers at risk by not having appropriate occupational health and safety in place. I pledge, on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, that we will do what we can to make sure that this issue is addressed across the board, and I would ask that the parliament do that. I pay tribute to their bravery and I wish them and their families all the best. We should not have diseases like this spread in Australia in 2021.

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