Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to rise today to speak on the motion moved by the member for Bendigo because of the importance of the motion that is before us today. The member for Bendigo quite rightly raised this issue in this place today because it is one around safety. It is incredibly important that we have many people coming into this place to raise this issue and raise the profile of what is, to put it bluntly, an absolute disgrace.

We have just heard from the member for Hinkler. He came into this chamber to speak on this motion today, but unfortunately he has failed to grasp the danger of this product, although he clearly demonstrated that he understands the danger of asbestos in our workplaces, in our buildings, in our cars and in our brake pads. He understands that danger very clearly. Yet, as a member of the government, he needs to raise this issue in his caucus room. He needs to raise this issue with the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection to ensure that something is put in place to ensure that this practice stops, and stops now.

The Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency CEO has outlined a dire situation. There is no good reason for Australians to be dying of asbestos related illnesses into the future. We all understand the history of this product. We understand that it took years to have the dangers of this product made public and for those people who have suffered terrible deaths from exposure to this product to be compensated. We understand that that is ongoing. But to be in a situation now where we are importing products with asbestos when we fully understand the dangers is outrageous.

I will go straight to the heart of this issue. The member for Bendigo raised the notion that the immigration minister blamed the unions for the importation. I think it was some kind of roundabout argument that wages are too high and therefore people are trying to cut corners. Well, that is it: people are trying to cut corners. They are trying to reduce the costs of building in this country at the expense of safety—not just worker safety but public safety. This is an absolute outrage and the minister for immigration should be acting here. I condemn him for his lack of action to date in this space.

It is clear that asbestos related products are coming into our country, coming into our building sites and coming into our factories when we all know the dangers and we all know that that should not be occurring. It has been found in cement compound board imported from China and even in sealing tape installed between roof sheets. This is not good enough. Workers in this country understand their rights, they understand safety in the workplace and I applaud them for taking the action that they have taken to bring this to government's attention.

The minister for immigration needs to think long and hard. Let's face it: the minister for immigration is someone who likes to speak about keeping our borders safe. In fact, it is his favourite theme and his favourite topic. Well, this is an area where he can take real action to keep our borders safe, to keep our people safe from a future where we continue to bring asbestos products into this country. We know what that will look like. We have seen the deaths in the past. We know what this will do.

Safety is the cost of doing business in this country. We have high standards. We have high product standards. We have high occupational health and safety standards. There is no point demonising the union movement in this way, but that is the pattern that we see. We are seeing the union movement demonised for getting in the way; we are seeing them demonised for adding to the cost of building. We look at that picture, and then we look at this picture, where we have a minister who is not taking appropriate action, who is not ensuring that improved testing arrangements are put in place to ensure these products are not coming in.

We have a minister for immigration who likes to make videos to send to other countries about keeping our borders safe. Well, how about sending some videos into the countries where these products are being made? How about sending them some videos highlighting for them that in Australia we have high standards around safety practices and that this product is not welcome inside Australia? I would like to see the minister for immigration make a video about that. I will applaud him when he does.

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