Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I never thought I would see silicosis in my lifetime. It was a disease I read about in textbooks, but it has made a resurgence thanks to our addiction to engineered stone. Gleaming stone benchtops in kitchens and bathrooms harbour a dark secret. They are killing young Australians, thanks to primitive work health and safety conditions. The first reported case of silicosis associated with engineered stone was in 2015. In 2022, just last year, 579 cases had been identified, but these are the tip of the iceberg. The true numbers may be closer to 83,000 to 103,000 people with silicosis, based on research commissioned by the ACTU. New South Wales and Queensland have dust diseases registers for a range of occupational diseases. Last year, Queensland reported 40 cases of silicosis, including four cases of black lung disease associated with coal, from a total of 269 cases.

Silica is ubiquitous in the environment, but it becomes deadly when made airborne through the cutting of engineered stone, which is 90 per cent silica. Unlike natural stone, engineered stone contains a far higher content of crystalline silica compared to granite, which is 30 per cent, and marble, which is just 13 per cent. A ministerial task force estimated that one in four people exposed to silica from engineered stone before 2018 has silicosis. That is a shockingly high statistic and underlies the deep anxiety and uncertainty experienced by exposed workers. There is evidence suggesting that silicosis from exposure to engineered stone may have a more accelerated course and a higher mortality than silicosis associated with natural stone. In any event, the prospect of lung transplantation is hardly comforting. As a scarce intervention which is rationed, there is no guarantee that it will be an option to patients with advanced silicosis, aside from the fact that it is a gruelling intervention that confers life but not necessarily a normal life expectancy. I know this because I cared for lung transplant patients, dealing with their infections and their infection risk, as part of a team at the Alfred Hospital.

Given the hidden scale of the problem, its deadly effects and the absence of a definitive treatment, the Albanese government is determined to act. The National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Bill 2023 delivers on the recommendation of the National Dust Disease Taskforce to establish a national registry. The registry will capture and share data, because you can't manage what you can't measure. Data variables captured in the registry will include the agents causing the disease; the number of cases; the last and main exposures, such as business, industry, occupation and specific task; and other types of health data. Additional information requiring patient consent includes relevant medical tests; clinical details, like smoking history; employment status; and details of the actual job which may have contributed to the exposure. I strongly urge patients and practitioners to disclose this information, as it will aid national efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat patients, along with national efforts to identify poor practices early on.

The bill will enable the sharing of information with state and territory health agencies and work, health and safety agencies to increase awareness and enable further action to be taken. In New South Wales and Queensland, where existing state-based registers operate, double notification will not be required, because the national register will take precedence. Medical specialists from sleep, respiratory and occupational medicine will be compelled to notify patients via an online portal, making these notifiable diseases under the law. Initially, silicosis will require mandatory reporting, but the registry will be open to other respiratory threats as and if they evolve.

There is complementary work under way, including: a National Silicosis Prevention Strategy to take a whole-of-government approach; grants for training materials to support the identification and classification of silicosis for radiologists—and I reckon artificial intelligence will have a role to play here; targeting education for doctors on the diagnosis and management of workers affected by silicosis, because awareness is poor; investment in an education campaign for employers, workers and health professionals; support for research; establishment of a national rapid response guideline; and work with the states to ensure we have a coordinated approach. Questions, however, must be asked as to how this catastrophe occurred. Where was the watchdog? We have Safe Work Australia, which begs the question as to what they were doing when reports started to emerge of this issue both domestically and internationally. No one is above scrutiny, which is why I would like to ensure that our national safety watchdog and its legislative remit are fit for purpose. It has relevance not only to silicosis but also to other airborne threats, whether they be future pandemics or non-infectious threats like pollution or smoke.

I can't overemphasise the importance of prevention. The hierarchy of controls for work health and safety should be standard operating procedure in at-risk work places. Unions and advocates are calling for a ban on engineered stone. I agree. It is a vanity item that has good alternatives. There really is little justification for its use given the prognosis of silicosis, its irreversibility and its very limited therapeutic options. The minister has tasked Safe Work Australia with developing further advice on the ban of engineered stone products—we await their guidance. I thank unions, work health and safety experts, and families, carers and friends of affected people past and still here for their years of advocacy. We have heard your concerns.

Finally, consumers have a role to play. Turn your backs on this deadly product and explore alternatives. When we strengthen work health and safety protections for one high-risk group, other groups like nurses and fire service personnel will also benefit. I commend this bill to the House.

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