David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator McKim, I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

A national ban on engineered stone has been recommended by Safe Work Australia to protect workers from deadly silicosis, it must be implemented nationally no later than 1 July 2024 since every day of delay means more workers dying, and no one should die for a shiny bench top.

I know there often things that divide this chamber—in fact, we've just had a debate on matters of national security and the like that divide this chamber—but surely something that is protecting the lives of young workers, that's saving families from the loss of breadwinners, and that's actually implementing recommendations from our national safe work authorities should unite our chamber.

The Greens have brought this motion calling on this house to support a national ban on the use and importation of engineered stone by no later than 1 July 2024 as a chance for this house to unite. It's a chance for politics to unite, to say that no longer should any young worker die and literally choke themselves to death as a result of silicosis simply so somebody can have a shiny benchtop. Tragically, that is what is happening in this country at the moment.

Thank goodness we've had a strong campaign from the construction union, the CFMEU, on this. I've been working with them for years in their push to get a ban on engineered and manufactured stone because they've seen their members die. Young members—tragically, many of them under 30—are being diagnosed with terminal silicosis because they've been working with the dust formed when they cut engineered stone. Engineered stone wasn't even available until 20 years ago, and we managed to have commercial fit-outs, kitchens and shiny benchtops before we started working with engineered stone. Almost all engineered stone is, in fact, imported. We know it's a product that is killing workers, from the dust created and inhaled.

Finally, in August of this year, after too much delay, Safe Work Australia put out their clear, unambiguous recommendation. It wasn't to hold off and wait. It wasn't to put more work health safety protections around. It wasn't to wear masks. It wasn't to do wet cutting. It was to ban the use of engineered stone. Why did they do that? Let's read from their recommendation. They said:

Engineered stone workers are dramatically over-represented amongst workers diagnosed with silicosis—the vast majority of silicosis cases identified in recent years are in engineered stone workers, yet they make up only 2% of those exposed to RCS—

respirable crystalline silica—

at work. Exposure to RCS from engineered stone causes silicosis typified by a faster onset and more rapid progression than that caused by RCS from other sources, including natural stone. This has resulted in debilitating disease in young engineered stone workers, the majority of which are under 35.

Then they said:

There is no scientific evidence for a 'safe' threshold of crystalline silica content in engineered stone.

Finally, they said:

The increased risks posed by RCS from engineered stone, increased rate of silicosis diagnosis amongst engineered stone workers, and the faster and more severe disease progression amongst this group, combined with a multi-faceted failure of this industry to comply with the model WHS laws means that continued work with engineered stone poses an unacceptable risk to workers. The use of all engineered stone should be prohibited.

Well, let's do it, and let's do it now. Let's commit to doing it absolutely no later than 1 July next year.

We have heard at different times from the former coalition government that it wasn't a national issue. It absolutely is now, with this recommendation from Safe Work Australia. Given this product is almost entirely imported, the Commonwealth government could shut this industry down in a heartbeat with an importation ban and then a ban on its use. That's absolutely what we should do. When we see companies in this space, like Caesarstone, getting people like Hawker Britton—who we know have close connections to the Labor Party—to be their lobbyists in this place, warning bells go off. We need a clear commitment from the Albanese government, and I hope we get it, to ban engineered stone and to ban it no later than 1 July. We need the coalition to end their silence on this and, finally, to say clearly that no young worker should die at work because they or their mates want a shiny benchtop.