Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens are supportive of the establishment of a national dust disease registry to 'better protect and support workers and to recognise the incidence and severity of dust disease'. I want to note on the record the recommendations provided by Australia's leading public health organisations as to further amendments which could be made to improve this registry, specifically: that all occupational respiratory diseases found in the Safe Work Australia List of Deemed Diseases in Australia be prescribed and require notification to the registry upon diagnosis; that the annual public reports from the Commonwealth CMO be broadened to include occupation, main job task, industry and state; that, as a matter of priority, the registry be expanded to include, among other things, asbestosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mesothelioma, work related asthma and occupational lung infections; that the addition of multiple exposures in 'additional notification information' should be included in the 'minimum notification information'; and, finally, to remove the restriction, subject to worker consent and ethical approval, on researchers' access to information contained in section 2 of the bill. The Greens strongly support these initiatives to strengthen the registry.

We note the government's amendments to the explanatory memorandum, which go some way to further clarifying some of these measures. We urge the government to consult with state and territory governments regarding the expansion of the number of prescribed diseases on the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry as a matter of urgency.

On the topic of engineered stone, the Australian Greens have long supported a ban on the use of engineered stone in Australia. The evidence is crystal clear: manufactured stone is the 21st century's asbestos, and the federal parliament should be acting urgently to ban its importation and use. The Greens welcome a previous statement from the Albanese government that it wants to move towards a ban, but this cannot wait 12 months while more young workers are exposed to this deadly dust. Time is a critical factor here. We know that Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke and his state and territory counterparts gave Safe Work Australia six months to investigate the prospect of prohibition of the substance. There seems to be a hesitancy to make the results of this report public. This needs to be done now. As assistant secretary Liam O'Brien of the Australian Council of Trade Unions has said:

We support governments releasing this report before ministers meet later this year so that there can be appropriate public scrutiny of this significant issue.

There can simply be no justification for this report to be kept hidden.

It is estimated that around 584,000 Australians are currently exposed to the impact of exposure to silica dust, which occurs when products containing this substance, such as stones, rocks, concrete and bricks, are processed by cutting, drilling or, indeed, grinding. A Curtin University study commissioned by the ACTU predicts that up to 103,000 workers will be diagnosed with silicosis and that 10,000 will develop lung cancer directly as a result of their exposure to silica dust—10,000 Australians. This is in a context where we are seeing dust related disease rise and continue to rise ever faster in Australia. This rise coincides with a government led infrastructure boom which includes a record number of multibillion-dollar road and tunnel projects across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, all contexts in which we can reasonably expect workers may have been exposed.

Here are some devastating examples that have been put into the public arena and that I think are worthy to be placed on the Senate record today. One man speaking to the media, one of the many diagnosed with silicosis, reports now having a lung capacity of 40 per cent. He finds it hard to walk and talk at the same time. Another, just 31 years old, by the name of Josh Hunt, who started as an apprentice stonemason when he was just 15 and who worked at factories in Queensland, Melbourne and Sydney, said that the dust was so bad that he would blow stone out of his nose all weekend. Three years after leaving, he can still taste the dust that he would breathe in every day. He said: 'It has taken its toll; it has taken everything from me. I've got three daughters. Seeing them walk down the aisle or worrying about seeing them at their high school graduations in their dresses—I don't like to talk about that too much because it does make me quite upset.' This is somebody who is now considering the reality of missing those precious moments with his family because of his exposure.

Another worker, by the name of Tran, is dying of silicosis. He refers to his pills as 'waiting in line' to relieve him of some of his pain, and to enable him to interact with his friends. He also now carries an oxygen tank with him. At 56 years old, it takes all of his energy to point to the table next to him. He was told in August last year that he might have eight months to live. It has now been over a year since he was given that news; can you imagine being in that situation—thinking that every day, every moment you have, you're actively counting towards an end that you know is coming quicker than it should? This is an horrendous situation for anybody to be in, let alone somebody that has been exposed to something which is currently still legally usable and importable in Australia.

The Greens first called for a manufactured stone ban in 2020 after the New South Wales parliament inquiry into dust based diseases. Every day of delay is deadly. That's the pure and simple fact, and politicians and decision-makers have a duty to act with urgency. A simple ban needs to be the start of this process. We know that young tradies who have been working with manufactured stone and who get sick need quality medical support, and will likely require, and should justly receive, compensation. The Greens will continue to call on the government to pass legislation implementing a ban on engineered stone this year, in line with the calls of public health experts. I move:

At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate:

(a) notes that:

(i) it is estimated that around 584,050 Australian workers are currently exposed to respirable crystalline silica, which occurs when products containing crystalline silica, such as stone, rocks, concrete and bricks, are processed via cutting, drilling or grinding;

(ii) Curtin University modelling projects around 10,000 Australians will develop lung cancer directly related to silica dust; and

(b) therefore agrees that the Labor Government should:

(i) urgently consider, in concert with State and Territory governments, a ban on the import and use of engineered stone in this term of Parliament; and

(ii) consult with State and Territory governments regarding the expansion of the number of prescribed diseases on the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry as a priority".