Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Singh, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) commends the Government for taking action to protect Australians from asbestos and continuing to lead the world in trying to eliminate deadly asbestos-related diseases;

(b) notes the establishment of the new National Asbestos Exposure Register in the wake of community concerns after asbestos was found in Telstra pits in four states during the rollout of the National Broadband Network;

(c) acknowledges the response from Telstra to ensure all workers are trained in the removal and handling of asbestos located in its pits; and

(d) recognises the historic legislation to implement the National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management by:

(i) establishing the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, which will be dedicated to working with all states and stakeholders to create a nationally consistent approach to the eradication, handling of awareness of asbestos,

(ii) working to develop a public awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of asbestos,

(iii) implementing a prioritised removal program across Australia, and

(iv) playing a leadership role in the global campaign for a worldwide asbestos plan.