Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Did you know Australia's first case of engineered stone related silicosis was identified in 2016, just seven years ago. This is truly surprising, because silicosis can be deadly. It's silent, it's hidden, it's insidious and it has harmful long-term health impacts that can shorten life expectancy. It is painful and it can seriously affect quality of life, with no remedy apart from a lung transplant. What we do know is silica has been a common component of man-made stone for more than two decades. But the data to quantify the true extent of silicosis is fragmented, at best. That's why today, I stand in support of the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Bill 2023.

The bill proposes the establishment of a registry of all those who have suffered, or will suffer, from silicosis and other respiratory diseases. This registry is vital because, while we know rates of silicosis and other occupational respiratory diseases have reached unacceptably high levels, we do not currently have a clear picture of just how widespread this condition is throughout our workforce. A clearer picture means we can make workplaces safer. It means young people considering a trade can feel assured that their career won't shorten their life. That's what this bill is all about. It's about making sure workers now and into the future are protected from an entirely preventable condition—a condition that, tragically, kills. Right now, we don't know the exact figure, nor do we fully understand the impact of the condition. What's at stake is clear. We must act now. Silicosis is typically but not exclusively caused by high exposure to respirable crystalline silica found in workplaces that crush, cut, grind, polish and demolish silica-containing products. These processes are particularly common in our quarries.

In introducing this bill, the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care told the tragic story of a 34-year-old woman named Joanna who worked at a quarry. After she returned from maternity leave, Joanna was asked to undergo a fit-for-work test. It was through this testing that Joanna was diagnosed with silicosis. Joanna largely worked in a reception role at the front office of the quarry, yet through her work she was exposed to dangerous silica dust. Joanna said it would be all over her clothes, all over her skin. She added: 'What I've since learnt about silicosis is that there is no cure, and you just don't know how it will progress. At the moment I'm feeling healthy, but I don't know if that will be the case in one year, let alone five or 10 years. As a mum of two young daughters, that terrifies me. I fear this will affect my life and my family's life, and I am angry. I should never have been exposed to this disease.' Stories like these are not easy to hear, and I wholeheartedly agree with the assistant minister, the member for Cooper, that Joanna should never have been exposed to this disease.

For Joanna and so many other workers across our nation, continuous exposure to respirable crystalline silica, no matter their job, can lead to silicosis. But it should be noted that this issue is not one just facing our nation; it's a global phenomenon that must be addressed. I certainly would encourage our government and our parliament to consider what more we can do to look at silicosis, whether it is banning the product or anything else can we do, because it is a silent and deadly disease, and we must do more.

The rise has been driven largely by the introduction of high levels of silica in man-made stone benchtops. These benchtops have become increasingly popular due to their cost effectiveness, but it comes at the price of workers' health. But, as previously stated, we do not have an accurate picture of just how many workers develop silicosis until later in life. The latency of the disease, or the time lag between the first exposure to the hazard and the clinical diagnosis, makes it incredibly challenging to determine the exact number of affected individuals, even in cases of accelerated silicosis.

Gathering accurate data across various disconnected sources such as businesses, work health safety regulators and medical professionals has been identified as a major challenge. That's why this bill aims to establish the comprehensive National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry, which will contain specific information on individuals diagnosed with occupational respiratory diseases such as silicosis. Additionally, the registry may also contain information on individuals receiving treatment for occupational respiratory diseases. This valuable resource will facilitate the collection, analysis and publication of statistics relating to respiratory diseases, identifying the incidence of such disease in Australia and informing the design and evaluation of preventative actions.

To achieve its purpose, the bill is structured into four parts, with the key components focusing on the establishment of the registry and its notification requirements, as well as provisions for accessing and using the information within the registry. It's essential to emphasise that the bill will not be limited to capturing data on dust related diseases alone. Instead, it enables the collection of information on various causative agents, industries, tasks and occupations posing high risks of exposure to respiratory-disease-causing agents. For instance, information available from the Department of Health and Aged Care suggest the registry would encompass contributing agents, like passive smoking, welding fumes and acrylates.

Occupational lung diseases pose a significant health burden in Australia, and it's estimated that around 38 per cent of the burden of the disease in 2018 could be preventable through reducing exposure to risk factors. The leading risk factor contributing to death was tobacco use, while occupational exposures to silica, for example, ranked ninth for males. It is crucial to note that some occupational lung conditions, including silicosis, show concerning signs of resurgence, particularly among workers who are inhaling dust from engineered stone. Occupational lung disease encompasses various conditions, including asbestosis, silicosis, the breathing in of coal dust by coal workers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. Currently the number of people living with occupational lung disease in Australia remains unknown due to various factors impacting their identification, such as delayed diagnosis and similarities between work-related and non-work-related exposures. To address this lack of data, the proposed National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry will play a crucial role in enhancing preventative measures and identifying high-risk industries, occupations, workplaces and tasks that cause silicosis.

This bill acknowledges the need for data protection and privacy. While medical practitioners who are diagnosing a person with a prescribed occupational respiratory disease will not require their consent to notify the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, the bill safeguards sensitive information from unauthorised access and disclosure. Protected information, including workplace identifying information and commercially sensitive details, will be handled with care, and access will be allowed only under specified circumstances, such as for the purpose of the registry, health care, enforcement activities or as required by law.

Furthermore, the bill recognises the importance of ongoing research and surveillance in understanding and addressing occupational respiratory diseases. The registry's data will provide valuable insights into emerging threats, incident trends and the effectiveness of preventative interventions. This information will empower policymakers, health professionals and employers to develop evidence based strategies to, importantly, protect workers and to reduce exposure to disease-causing agents. The bill will provide clear guidelines and provisions for the reporting of respiratory diseases by medical specialists. It requires specialists in the field of respiratory and sleep medicine and occupational and environmental medicine who diagnose certain occupational respiratory diseases to notify the national registry, via an online portal, of the patient and the exposure details.

Additionally, the bill empowers the minister for health to make rules prescribing which occupational respiratory diseases require notification. Initially, only for silicosis will notification be prescribed as mandatory, but the bill acknowledges that future threats to workers' respiratory health may necessitate further consultation and the inclusion of other diseases. To ensure the comprehensive collection of data, the bill allows respiratory and occupational physicians to notify the national registry of information about an individual who is being diagnosed with a non-prescribed occupational respiratory disease where the individual provides their consent. This consent-based approach respects individual privacy while enabling the registry to gather valuable information on a broader range of respiratory diseases.

In closing, the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Bill 2023 represents a significant step forward in safeguarding the health and safety of our workers. This is a priority of our Albanese government. I'd like to commend the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care for her work on this bill, along with the Minister for Health and Aged Care. By establishing a robust registry and integrating comprehensive data collection, we have an unwavering commitment to addressing and preventing occupational respiratory disease.

I believe that we need to do more than just the registry. This is an issue that we must tackle, but the registry is certainly a significant step in the right direction to support our workers and ensure their safety. The Albanese government stands with workers in our commitment to protect their health and wellbeing.

See this speech in context