Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

All Australians, regardless of their occupation or how they are engaged, have a right to a healthy and safe work environment. Silicosis is an awful disease, and we recognise the serious nature of the risks associated with excessive exposure to respirable crystalline silica. That's why the former coalition government took a leadership role on this issue, given the significant impact on workers and their families across this country. When in government, we established the National Dust Disease Taskforce as part of a $5 million election commitment to develop a national approach to the prevention, early identification, control and management of occupational dust diseases in Australia.

The former coalition government worked with the states and territories to develop a nationally coordinated all-of-government response to the taskforce's final report, which was endorsed on 4 April 2022. We supported the response with $11 million over four years as part of the 2022-23 March budget to respond to the non-regulatory recommendations made in the taskforce's final report. This funding supported an enhanced focus on prevention activities; improved support for affected workers and their families; upskilling and improving expertise and knowledge of medical professionals; and strengthening the evidence base and research capability. As a result of this report, commissioned by the former coalition government, the current government passed the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Bill 2023. This established the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry, providing access to information about occupational respiratory diseases. It supports the identification of industries, occupations, job tasks and workplaces where there is a risk of exposure to respiratory-disease-causing agents.

The coalition remains strongly committed to reducing the incidence of silicosis and other dust diseases amongst workers, and to increasing the quality of life for affected workers and their families. Given our longstanding commitment to this issue and the extensive work undertaken while in government, we are happy to work with this government in ensuring the passage of legislation which creates the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry in response to the growing incidence of silicosis among Australian workers. The National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry will play an important role in addressing the growing incidence of silicosis and other occupational respiratory dust diseases in Australia.

Of course, the coalition will carefully assess all measures the government puts forward in the near future. While all governments will have to respond to the Safe Work Australia report through the workplace health and safety ministers' meeting, the government needs to ensure appropriate consideration and compensation for smaller businesses and many self-employed Australians in jurisdictions that participated in licensing schemes and the changes in process they complied with, ensuring they're given the opportunity to recoup any expenses if a ban is brought forward by the workplace health and safety ministers' meeting. We will not pre-empt the recommendation from Safe Work Australia and, in the same situation, we should not pre-empt the decision of the workplace health and safety ministers' meeting.