Mr FLETCHER (Bradfield—Manager of Opposition Business) (09:14): In 24 days, 20 years will have passed since the Commonwealth, state and territory governments worked together and implemented a complete ban on asbestos in Australia. The devastating impact of asbestos cannot be overstated. For decades, this silent killer caused irreparable harm to many Australians. Asbestos related diseases such mesothelioma and lung cancer have claimed the lives of far too many Australians. The 2003 ban was a commitment to safeguarding the lives of Australians and ensuring a safer future for generations to come. The risk of exposure to asbestos was initially managed through strict regulations, comprehensive awareness campaigns and responsible disposal practices. But as we know, exposure of any kind, regardless of its level, is unsafe. Therefore, a total ban was necessary. The ban of 2003 saw complete prohibition on manufacture, supply, use, reuse, import, storage and sale of all forms of asbestos. The ban of 2003 also harmonised the patchwork of bans and other measures which first appeared from the 1980s. All Australians, regardless of their occupation or how they are engaged in the workforce, have the right to a healthy, safe work environment. Sadly, even today, Australia has one of the highest measured incidence rates of mesothelioma across the globe. According to international research, more than 125 million people have been exposed to asbestos. In 2004, it was found exposure to asbestos caused 107,000 deaths. According to Safe Work Australia and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, in 2021, we saw 708 deaths related to exposure to asbestos nationally. According to the Australian Mesothelioma Registry, in 2022 we still had more than 630 Australians diagnosed with mesothelioma, with more than nine in 10 being assessed as having probable or possible exposure to asbestos. As we know, the impacts of asbestos exposure take time to take effect. It can be anything between 20 years to 60 years before we see a diagnosis of illness caused by asbestos exposure. We hope that the impacts of the ban in 2003 continue to have the impact desired. We hope that those 630 mesothelioma diagnoses drop further and further to zero over the coming years and decades. The threat from asbestos is still not over. Asbestos management must never be a set-or-forget matter. According to Dr Ken Takahashi, professor and director of the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, it's expected that around 19,400 more people will be diagnosed in Australia with mesothelioma by end of the century. That means that people not yet born will fall victim to asbestos exposure. Homes and commercial buildings across Australia still have asbestos and asbestos-made products in place. Across Australia, thousands of kilometres of water pipes made of asbestos are in the process of being replaced. The prevalence of asbestos in our built and natural environments has seen regulations span multiple areas of government. For example, regulation occurs across multiple agencies involved in health, environment, urban planning, and workplace health and safety. It occurs across government at the local, state and territory and Commonwealth levels. As such, at times, efforts so far to address asbestos issues have been fragmented and duplicative. It takes work from the Commonwealth Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency as well as Safe Work Australia to navigate and coordinate an effective national effort. The effort involves many stakeholders, businesses and members of civil society to ensure we remain alert to the risks of asbestos. For example, last year the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency developed the first-ever national residential asbestos heat map. This map will have a tangible benefit and transform asbestos risk management in the residential sector. It will provide the evidence base needed to inform decisions related to the management and removal of asbestos-containing material. I want to acknowledge on behalf of the coalition the ramifications which asbestos has had for families, communities and workers across our country. The human toll is significant. The impact that human toll has caused, ultimately, is impossible to quantify. On behalf of the coalition, I offer condolences to all Australians who, day after day, watched the damaging impacts of asbestos take a toll on a loved one who is no longer with us. We acknowledge all those Australians who have lost mates in their workplaces. We recognise all those communities that have lost members of sporting and social clubs as a result of the effects of asbestos. The pain that all of these Australians have gone through or are going through cannot be erased by time. The management of asbestos, the banning of asbestos and the support provided to asbestos victims has been championed by many—affected individuals, families, unions, asbestos advocacy groups, health and safety specialists, journalists and many in this parliament. But, more than anyone else, we should acknowledge the work of campaigners, and particularly the late Bernie Banton, who spent a decade and a half of his life fighting for those who, like him, contracted asbestos related diseases. He did this with the aim of ensuring that other Australians would not suffer the same fate. Twenty years on from the ban being introduced, let us hope that we can see a future where asbestos related diseases and diagnoses are no more—although more work is required to get to that point. We just heard from the minister that the government has announced that it intends to work with the states and territories towards a ban on engineered stone products containing silicosis-causing silica. Silicosis is an awful disease. We know the serious nature of the risks associated with excessive exposure to respirable crystalline silica, RCS. The former coalition government established the National Dust Disease Taskforce, and we supported key recommendations from the taskforce's final report, with a view to better protecting and improving supports for workers in dust-generating industries and their families. But on this side of the House we recognise that more must be done to stop the growing incidence of silicosis amongst Australian workers. We do not wish to pre-empt decisions that are yet to be made with the states and territories, but I do want to lay out the coalition's in-principle support in working with the government with a view to achieving an orderly and appropriate transition, including such matters as compensation and support for the businesses, the Australian workers and others who deal with engineering stone. I conclude by expressing confidence that the work that's been done in relation to the asbestos ban will, over time, deliver the benefits that we all want to see, and by reiterating the commitment of the coalition in giving in-principle support to working with the government in relation to the issue of silicosis.