Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) since September 2018, more than 20 cases of advanced silicosis have been found in Queensland,

  (ii) at present, there is no known treatment that can arrest the progress of this disease, and

  (iii) previous attempts have been made to raise this issue with the Government, but that they have not taken action on it; and

(b) calls on the Government to:

  (i) fund respiratory health assessments of all workers (past and present) in the industry,

  (ii) conduct an urgent review of the dust control measures used in the industry, including independent monitoring of dust levels,

  (iii) conduct comprehensive enforcement of hazardous substances regulations related to silica dust exposure,

  (iv) enforce an immediate prohibition on dry cutting techniques, and

  (v) establish a national occupationally-acquired respiratory disease surveillance and registry program.