Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to start by acknowledging the previous speaker in the other chamber—before this came to the Federation Chamber—the member for Bendigo and her fine contribution. The reason why I want to start there is that it'd be no surprise to members in this place and in the other that the member for Bendigo and the member for Monash are the co-chairs for the Parliamentary Friends of Asbestos Related Disease. I think it's a really important starting place to recognise the work that they have done in raising awareness of dust related diseases in this place to ensure that legislation like the bill that we're talking about today has been brought forward and that the safety of people in our communities is put at the forefront. Whilst they chair the parliamentary friendship group, there are a lot of members of this place and senators in the other place who are part of that group—I am one of them—and the work that gets done in that friendship group is very much required to raise awareness in our communities and to give passage to the type of work that we're speaking about today.

The Customs Amendment (Expedited Seizure and Disposal of Engineered Stone) Bill 2024 is the last of a suite of measures that deal with engineered stone and, in particular, silicosis. When I was elected to parliament in 2022, having come from a working-class background and represented workers for a short period of time before I came to this place, worker safety was something that was at the forefront of my mind. I really did look forward to the opportunity to be part of debate that puts forward laws that better protect workers in this country. It is an absolute honour to be part of a government that is getting on with the job of protecting workers, because that's what good Labor governments do: we take the needs of workers across this country and put them at the forefront of the policy work that we do in this place to ensure that they are safer and that the community is safer. It's something that I'm extremely proud to be part of in conjunction with the Albanese Labor government.

In particular, this bill is part of our government's process that will lift and advance measures that protect workers—a continuation of the legacy that we will see in this bill. We know that, when workers aren't protected, sometimes they don't come home, and the negative outcomes on the job include the risk of diseases, which is what we are talking about here today. Preventing this is a big reason why I'm part of the Labor Party, and it's why I'm proud to be part of our government, which is taking meaningful action to prevent the risk of silica related diseases occurring in workplaces and beyond in this country.

Why is engineered stone so bad? Well, it contains crystalline silica, and the risk it carries—related to silicosis and silica related diseases—is something that workers must be protected from. The impact of diseases that come from harmful dust produced on the job, which then can devastate a person's respiratory system, is significant. Asbestos is one of those dusts which people in my community and across the country have grappled with for decades, and it continues to cause significant harm in this country.

I want to give a shout-out to the Asbestos Victims Association of South Australia. They are a fantastic volunteer led organisation in my community who have raised awareness around asbestos but also have expanded that scope to dust related diseases. They come together yearly in Salisbury, at Pitman Park, for a remembrance day for those people who have lost their lives to asbestos. The reason I raise this is that it's very relevant to where we stand right now. We're on the precipice of a second wave of dust related diseases in this country, and without the measures that we're talking about today—the measures that we have introduced since coming to government in 2022—more people will be remembered at events like the one at Pitman Park every November. The association does some fantastic work, with a lot of outreach to families and people that are dealing with mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases.

I'm not sure if people in the House realise this, but an estimated 4,000 people die every single year in Australia from asbestos related diseases. In 2019, an estimated 3,307 deaths were due to lung cancer, and asbestos contributes to 30 per cent of all lung cancer deaths in Australia. Of the 3,307 deaths due to lung cancer in 2019, 802 were due to mesothelioma—99 per cent of which were due to past asbestos exposure—148 were due to asbestosis, 144 were due to ovarian cancer and 48 from cancer of the larynx.

Each and every one of these diseases is absolutely debilitating, with profound effects on the family and friends of the affected individual. That 4,000 is part of an estimated 219,000 worldwide; that's as of 2016. The risk that harmful dust carries is exceptionally long lasting and, while asbestos has long been phased out—and subsequently banned in its totality in Australia in 2003—dust based illnesses still exist in workplaces in the world today.

To talk about silica and silica based illnesses, it's estimated that 600,000 people, according to the 2021 final report of the National Dust Disease Taskforce, are potentially being exposed to silica dust each year. That includes miners, construction workers, engineers, plumbers, handypersons, heavy-vehicle drivers, farmers, machine operators, animal and horticultural workers, scientists, metalworkers and electrical workers. The risk is so widespread. In 2012, a survey of the Australian working population found that 6.6 per cent of the Australian workforce—329,000 people—were exposed to silica dust when on the job, with just over half that number exposed to particularly high levels. That is hundreds of thousands of people—everyday people exposed to dust that can cause permanent damage or death. As the numerous diagnoses of silicosis among workers in the stone benchtop fabrication and installation industry have revealed, there is a pressing need to ensure the materials and practices that Aussies are exposed to are managed.

That's why, on our watch—on Labor's watch—the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered-stone benchtop panels and slabs were banned on 1 July 2024. This is something I'm extremely proud to have been part of. Following on from that, all crystalline silica substances have been subject to stronger regulations since 1 September last year. Both of these changes apply to all materials containing at least one per cent of crystalline silica, including engineered stone. The importation of engineered stone was prohibited on 1 January this year, further tightening these regulations. This is progress that we want to see. But the job isn't done; more steps need to be taken to protect our communities.

That's why this bill is so important. It's giving powers to the Australian Border Force to destroy seized engineered stone immediately. Similar provisions exist for dangerous and perishable goods, tobacco products, vapes and illicit drugs seized at the border. We all know that engineered stone, like those products, can cause significant harm, and it's only right that it's treated similarly. Without this amendment, that seized stone needs to be stored, and a significant volume too, which is significantly difficult and will take capacity away from Border Force to do the rest of its job and duties. This process needs to be efficient. We want our Border Force operators in this country to be doing the things that they need to do to keep our borders safe. Giving them the ability to dispose of this in a timely manner will free up their resources so that they can better protect our borders—something that we are extremely proud of.

Silicosis is incredibly damaging to the lives and livelihoods of Australians and their families, and it's up to governments like ours to protect Australians from that threat. That's what our Labor government has done and will continue to do.

I just wanted to finish on the fact that I've had the misfortune of watching close friends and people in my family circle pass away from asbestos related diseases, and it is one of the cruellest things you can see. When you speak to representatives from the AMWU and other unions that represent workers from the types of exposure areas that we see with manufactured stone and other silica related products—these are young men and women who have gone to work expecting to come home the same way they went there: healthy, strong and sound of mind and body. Unfortunately, that's not the case for some of these workers. They are often 19, 20 or 21 years old. They are indiscriminately exposed, and unaware of the potential risk and the problems that they are going to face, moving forward in their lives.

Tragically, some of those people's lives have been cut short. It's an absolute travesty. It's why good governments need to legislate to protect young workers who don't ask the questions and don't say no. I see the member for Hunter in the chamber right now. He knows all too well, like I do, that, working on the job, sometimes it's hard to say no and stop the job and stand up for the safety principles that matter to keep you safe on the job. That's why you need governments to legislate to protect workers to ensure that they have rights in the workplace so that, regardless of their personal understanding, they remain safe on the job.

Stopping the import of silica based products into this country and ensuring that we have the right frameworks to stop unsafe practices in this country with these products is a very big step in making sure that we protect the young men and women that are doing their trade apprenticeships and working in these manufacturing areas. I'm extremely proud that this bill before the House today completes a raft of fantastic bills that we have brought forward to deal with silica related diseases, and I commend this bill to the House.

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