Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today we pay tribute to a momentous anniversary. It is 20 years this month since the total ban on the manufacture, supply, use, re-use, import, transport, storage and sale of all forms of asbestos. It's around 100 years since asbestos materials were first manufactured in Australia. It was commonly used in the manufacture of residential and commercial buildings from the mid-1940s until the late 1980s. During this period, Australia was one of the highest users of asbestos per capita. This issue remains critically important today. An estimated one-third of all houses in Australia still contain asbestos products, and in many parts of Australia, including Melbourne's west, asbestos is all too often found when major infrastructure projects are commenced.

I want to pay tribute to the long fight to get the ban implemented, a battle fought by trailblazers such as Bernie Banton, the union movement, public health advocates, and the many people directly affected and those championing their cause. Bernie Banton AM died when he was 61. In his victory speech, Kevin Rudd paid special tribute to Banton, saying he represented the great Australian trade union movement and was a beacon of decency in his fight for compensation.

The Rudd government created the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, which was established in 2013 to administer the safe management, removal and disposal of asbestos. The work of that agency continues to be very important, and there remains much to be done. I congratulate the new CEO of the agency, Jodie Deakes, and wish her and her team all the best in continuing their important work.

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