Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for the question. I note that it is the labour movement who have got, I think, the proudest record of tackling the issues on asbestos. We understand that asbestos in Australia will still kill—

George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You're not political, are you!

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Dawson, what is it about asbestos that you think there is a need for you to pollute with your political palaver? Asbestos is an absolute priority to tackle and eradicate in this country. It is a Labor government which has now created, for the first time, a national agency to deal with asbestos and coordinate a national plan. Asbestos is something which for generations the labour movement and—I am going to use those words that the opposition hate hearing; they put their hands over their ears—the trade unions pushed hard on. Everyone in the labour movement wishes, as I know many in the opposition do, that we could uninvent the scourge of asbestos. We wish that companies like James Hardie had done it differently from the way they did, but they did not and that is the sad legacy of asbestos.

We know in this country that it is not just those who have mined asbestos and it is not just those who have worked in the manufacturing of asbestos but now it is people in their own homes and in the communities who can be exposed to asbestos. That is why this government commissioned an asbestos management review, chaired by Geoff Fary, to make recommendations on how we can have a national approach on asbestos. In implementing the recommendations of that report, we have created legislation to create an asbestos agency. I acknowledge that the opposition have supported that asbestos agency. I particularly acknowledge the member for Farrer and a speech she gave about supporting this matter.

Today I have had to meet Telstra, along with my ministerial colleagues the member for Ballarat, the member for Lindsay and the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. We met with Telstra, we met with NBN Co., we met with stakeholders, we met with trade unions and we met with the victims groups—we had the Chief Medical Officer present—to talk about what we do, because it is clear to me, having spoken directly with the member for Lindsay and to the residents in Penrith, that they have not been treated properly in the way that this matter has been conducted. But what is particularly pleasing is that the CEO of Telstra, David Thodey, came to the meeting and he took a leadership position. He did not take a political position and he did not take a legal position. He took a leadership position. He agreed that Telstra accepts responsibility that it has to do more. So residents should be pleased that that is the open transparency which Telstra is committed to. He put the contractors on notice that he expects people to live up to the standards and to make sure that Telstra's standards are trained throughout the system. Furthermore, he said that he accepted responsibility for the end-to-end training involved.

This has been a dreadful time for those Penrith residents. It is a dreadful time to think that your child might have been exposed. It will hardly be enhanced by some of the opposition questioning, I have to say. But what we will do, I can inform the House, is establish a national asbestos register for anyone to record their possible exposure to asbestos—not just employees and contractors but residents, people in their own homes and people in our communities. We will work with all stakeholders and we will work with the opposition when they choose to work with us, and we will not see the people of Penrith and other areas let down in the way they were by Telstra and other organisations who should have done better. (Time expired)

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Broadband) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and I refer to his previous answers and the letter he has just tabled. Since it is clear that from March 2009, the month before the NBN Co. was actually established, the minister was personally aware of asbestos in Telstra infrastructure, why did he apparently not have any meetings or further contact with Telstra or the NBN Co. concerning asbestos prior to last week—and, if he did, could he tell us what the contact was?

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In March 2009—and I am sorry the member for Wentworth has not followed my career as closely as he ought to have—I was the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services. So, of course, as parliamentary secretary for disabilities I still wrote to Telstra, because people had come to me and said there were concerns and, as a conscientious member of parliament, you still raise issues. But, if the member for Wentworth is saying that as parliamentary secretary for disabilities somehow I am not doing my job there, let us have a look at the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which the leader opposite is so keen to hug.

When we talk about asbestos, since I have become the minister we have implemented the Asbestos Management Review and we have put in place a national agency. When the matters in Penrith came to light, I went up on the weekend to go and see the residents and to hear from them. I would be interested to see how the member for Wentworth went with the residents of Penrith when he met with them, if he has actually done that, seeing that he is very keen to give advice. But, furthermore, I convened a meeting with Telstra. I am having a look at my correspondence, Member for Wentworth, on all the occasions on which you have raised with me the issues of asbestos and Telstra. What I might suggest here is that what really matters is the safety of Australians. What really matters is dealing with exposure to asbestos. What really matters is not taking some sort of petty political right-wing points—

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications and Broadband) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I raise a point of order on relevance. We are seeking to give the minister the opportunity to answer a very specific question as to why he did not raise the matter with Telstra between March—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume his seat. The minister has concluded his answer.