Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (09:01): Many Australians will not realise it was only 20 years ago, on 31 December 2003, that a complete national ban on the use of all forms of asbestos came into effect. The story of that ban is one of tireless advocacy by many who were denied justice themselves—by workers whose own lives were cut short by a scourge that government and industry failed to prevent; by workmates, shop stewards and union delegates who questioned workplace practices and were ignored; by families who saw their fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters taken from them too soon. Yet these Australians, in the face of personal tragedy, spoke up to protect others. They spoke up for the most basic of principles: that no-one should die at work. It wasn't just tragedy; it was injustice. It could have been prevented. The significance of this anniversary won't be lost on those of us gathered here today. Asbestos remains the greatest workplace tragedy of our time—the single biggest killer of workers in Australia. And we're still living with its legacy, to this date. Twenty years after it was banned, asbestos related diseases claim the lives of over 4,000 Australians each year. That's three times the national annual road toll. Over 700 of these deaths can be attributed to mesothelioma, a terrible, aggressive form of cancer that typically strikes people down many years after initial exposure. These deaths are a tragedy, each one representing immense grief, pain, hardship and loss, which is why we owe our gratitude to the many individuals and organisations who fought so hard for the ban and to ensure the victims of asbestos exposure received justice and support—people like Bernie Banton, a powerful campaigner for victims of asbestos, who fought long and hard to ensure all those affected received compensation. He died, as a result of his asbestos exposure, in 2007. We owe our gratitude to people like James Wallner, whose wife, Linda, brother Bruce and son Charlie are here in the gallery today. James lost his battle with mesothelioma in May 2021, having contracted the disease after growing up in a home sold by the company that became known as 'Mr Fluffy'. The Wallner family was one of more than a thousand here in the ACT that used loose-fill asbestos for insulation. James recalled stories of him and his brothers playing, as young kids, in a pile of loose-fill asbestos that had been stored in the garage during renovations. Right up to his final days, James was a vocal advocate for the thousands of people affected by Mr Fluffy homes, and we are forever in his debt—and the trade union movement, all of it, but in particular the AMWU and the CFMEU, who, in 2004, helped build public pressure on the James Hardie parent company through bans of James Hardie products on worksites and rallies to make James Hardie pay. The 2003 ban was a great achievement, but it's only part of an unfinished story. Asbestos remains in millions of buildings and structures across Australia. It's estimated that one in three homes has asbestos in them. In all, around 6.2 million tonnes of asbestos-containing materials are thought to remain in our built environment. These materials are old and, as they age, they degrade, increasing the risk of releasing deadly asbestos fibres, and more frequent extreme weather events, such as floods and fires, are also increasing the risk of asbestos exposure and environmental contamination. In short, the risk of asbestos exposure is not over. Much needs to be done to address this deadly asbestos legacy. More needs to be done. Through the leadership of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, whose chair, Paul Bastian, and CEO, Jodie Deakes, are here today, along with many of their staff, all governments will soon come together to set out a new five-year strategic plan to put that legacy squarely behind us. That ongoing work is essential if we're to hold true to the efforts of all those who campaigned over decades for justice for victims. The agency has recently published findings that, if we had sustained and coordinated by all governments, we could remove all asbestos from our buildings by 2068—it takes that long—in doing so, preventing up to 27½ thousand deaths from asbestos related diseases. While we commemorate the asbestos ban in Australia, we have to remember that many countries in our region continue to manufacture and use asbestos materials. The Australian government is committed to continuing our international leadership in seeking to secure a worldwide ban on the production and trade of asbestos. This can't be achieved without the help of organisations like Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA, which works tirelessly to campaign in South-East Asia in conjunction with the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency. As we head into the next stage of the fight against asbestos, we acknowledge the valuable work of a generation of individuals and organisations, including many in the gallery today. But I also want to acknowledge all of the asbestos disease support groups across Australia and their efforts to support victims of this deadly material; trade unions who continue their work to ensure safer workplaces; asbestos disease researchers, including those at the Asbestos and Dust Diseases Research Institute, whose research into treatments and a potential cure is invaluable, along with foundations that support them, like the Biaggio Signorelli Foundation; and all the agencies and regulators working to implement the asbestos national strategic plan. I also recognise the former CEO of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, Justine Ross, who has just finished her five-year tenure, and pay tribute to her service and professionalism, and I recognise the Parliamentary Friends of Asbestos Related Disease group, co-chaired by the member for Bendigo and the member for Monash, for all their work and advocacy over many years in keeping asbestos related diseases at the forefront of the agenda here in Canberra. Now, at the moment, in this country, we're reminded almost daily of the battles over asbestos because of new threats from dust diseases long thought consigned to history. Silicosis is an ancient disease, yet we've allowed it to return in force to our communities. A recent study from Curtin University suggested 600,000 Australians are currently exposed to crystalline silica at work. Over 100,000 Australians could develop silicosis as a result and, of those, 10,000 could develop lung cancer. Tragically, the majority of engineered stone workers acquiring silicosis—the majority of them—are under 35 years of age. They have to live with the symptoms for life, in too many cases leading to cancer or lung transplants. They are workers like Kyle Goodwin, who I met earlier this year. Kyle was diagnosed with silicosis in 2018 after working as a stonemason cutting engineered stone benchtops for almost a decade. He had limited symptoms—shortness of breath and coughing—but didn't put it together until an apprentice he worked with raised it with the stonemason. The apprentice, mind you, had already been diagnosed with silicosis himself. He told Kyle he should go and get tested. Kyle was 33 when he was diagnosed. He was told he had just five to eight years to live. Last month, he reached the five-year mark since his diagnosis. His symptoms are rapidly getting worse, and he doesn't see the specialist much anymore. In his words, 'There's no treatment, no help, no support.' From his own factory at least 20 workers have been diagnosed with silicosis. It is for them and the next generation of workers like them that we're so determined to act. Engineered stone benchtops are where we've seen the most acute issues. You will all have seen the recommendations that have come to all governments from Safe Work Australia, whose recent report recommended a full ban on the use of engineered stone in Australia. All jurisdictions have been working towards a coordinated national response since the report was received earlier this year. Since the release of that report, every state and territory, whether Liberal or Labor, has now committed to working collaboratively towards a ban on engineered stone in a coordinated and cooperative way. The states have most of the powers there. There are some powers that the federal government has, but I can confirm that the federal government will be approaching this in the same collaborative, coordinated way, working on how we can deliver on that recommendation for a ban from Safe Work Australia. Our next meeting is on 13 December. You have to deal with the different powers, state and federal, in a coordinated way, but what we're talking about there with regard to engineered stone with benchtops is not the only area of the rise in silicosis cases. We need improved regulation of exposure to silica dust across all industries, because workers in other industries are suffering as well. They are workers like Joanna. I met her here at Parliament House a few years ago when I was in opposition. Joanna developed silicosis. She was working at a quarry site in admin; she was an administration officer. When I met with her, she told me her greatest fear was not seeing her daughters grow up. While a lot of the focus is on addressing silica dust in relation to engineered stone benchtops, stories like Joanna's reminded us that this problem is not limited to one industry. Safe Work Australia was tasked in February with doing the work needed to address silica dust in all industries, and ministers will be seeking to endorse that early next year. It's also critical that we maintain a concerted focus on silica dust to ensure we never again make the same mistakes as were made with asbestos. As our experience with asbestos has shown, many lives depend on the work we do today. To all those—and there are many of them in the gallery right now and some on the floor behind it—who have over the past 20 years and more championed the plight of workers affected directly by these dust diseases: you have saved lives. To all of you who continue to champion those workers now and into the future: you continue to save lives. Your efforts are as important now as they were 20 years ago, and your government stands with you.