House debates

Monday, 2 December 2019

Private Members' Business

National Asbestos Awareness Week

4:45 pm

Photo of Steve GeorganasSteve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) 25 November to 1 December 2019 is National Asbestos Awareness Week;

(b) despite being outlawed in 2003, the impact of asbestos in Australia is ongoing; and

(c) an estimated 4,000 Australians die each year from asbestos-related diseases; and

(2) commends the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia and the Asbestos Victims Association South Australia for their tireless and often unrecognised work in raising awareness, training people to safely handle asbestos and supporting victims of asbestos-related diseases.

I rise to speak today about National Asbestos Awareness Week and the fantastic organisations, many voluntary, that not only assist victims of asbestos related disease but also, importantly, attempt to prevent more cases occurring. It's a fact that living in Australia means living with asbestos. Despite its use being banned since 2003, large amounts of asbestos are still present in many, many Australian homes, buildings and workplaces and in the environment. At the height of its use, asbestos was in over 3,000 products. Australia also has one of the highest rates of asbestos related disease in the world, and that means tradespeople and do-it-yourself renovators are among the most at risk for asbestos exposure. What's more concerning is that there is no known safe minimum level of exposure according to the World Health Organization.

Labor's proud of its record of being at the forefront of banning asbestos and tackling the risks and hazards associated with asbestos exposure. Six years ago, Labor set up the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency. During this time, the agency has worked with governments and stakeholders to implement the first national plan for asbestos eradication, handling and awareness, something that was not effectively coordinated in Australia prior to this time. Nevertheless, and despite our efforts thus far, asbestos related diseases still kill an estimated 4,000 Australians every year. Furthermore, 700 people were diagnosed with mesothelioma last year alone in Australia. It is clear that much more work needs to be done.

Asbestos Awareness Week was held last week, as it has been held annually for over 30 years, and the stats that I just went through show us why it is so critical to continue. It can be difficult at times to detect what might contain asbestos, as in many cases it's almost impossible to tell the difference between a product that contains asbestos and one that does not. Some companies manufactured identical-looking products after the asbestos ban. That is why it is a concern that research is showing that, while Australians know asbestos is dangerous, this knowledge does not translate into awareness of where asbestos could be, how they could potentially become exposed or how people can stay safe and avoid fibre exposure.

Organisations like the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia and the Asbestos Victims Association of South Australia work tirelessly with volunteers, often unrecognised, in raising awareness, training people to safely handle asbestos, supporting victims of asbestos related disease and educating younger people who are going into trades on the likelihood that they may be working with asbestos and on knowing the dangers and the safety precautions to take. I must take my hat off to Peter Photakis, the President of the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia, and to his team for all that they do tirelessly every day on a voluntary basis.

I must say as well that Mr Photakis runs this organisation on the fumes of an oily rag, and it was cruel and gobsmacking to see that the state Liberal government discontinued the minimal government revenue that they receive. We're talking about a very small amount of money that was used for education—a tiny amount in the context of government budgets. It is a tiny amount that Premier Marshall and Treasurer Rob Lucas will no longer provide to this organisation, which does such great work educating people about the dangers of asbestos, how to avoid it and the safety precautions that they can take. This funding was used by the Asbestos Diseases Society to go into high schools and TAFEs to talk to apprentices and highlight the dangers of working with asbestos. It was literally a life-saving activity, and that minimal funding has been cut.

I've written to the Liberal state government urging them to restore the funding, saying that by not funding this they're putting people's lives in danger. I know that the work that this organisation does actually saves lives. They go in and let young people know about the dangers—people who perhaps will be working with asbestos but do not know how to avoid it and the precautions they should take. I congratulate all these groups on the great work they do not only in South Australia but in all of Australia.

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