Asbestos Victims Memorial Day

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:01): It's hard to believe this is the second-to-last one. My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector. Will the minister inform the council about the Asbestos Victims Memorial Day service held this week?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Deputy Premier, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for his question. It was a privilege, again, this week to be able to attend the Asbestos Victims Memorial Day service. The memorial day marked a special 20^th anniversary and was held, again, at Jack Watkins Reserve in Kilburn, named in honour of the man who dedicated his life to improving the health and safety of his community.

The memorial day provides an important opportunity for people to come together and commemorate the many thousands of people in South Australia and across the country who have died from asbestos-related diseases and to reaffirm the need for constant vigilance in standing up for the health and safety of the community. For two decades, families, advocates, survivors, friends and supporters have come together to join their voices in solidarity. Each gathering represents compassion, courage and a shared commitment to ensuring that no story is forgotten and no struggle is overlooked.

The service was once again hosted by the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia (ADSSA), and I would like to acknowledge particularly the Hon. Connie Bonaros, who once again was in attendance and is a patron and longtime supporter of ADSSA. Also attending the memorial day for many, many years has been a former colleague, the Hon. Irene Pnevmatikos, and this year Michael Brown, who has attended a number of times before, as well as others in parliament, standing alongside families, advocates and survivors.

ADSSA's services include education to raise awareness, preventative measures, assistance with obtaining legal advice and a range of psychosocial and psychoeducational interactions, led by a social worker, to support those impacted by asbestos-related disease.

Asbestos was banned in Australia just over 20 years ago. This was a critical moment when Australian society and legislators collectively said, 'We're not willing to tolerate the devastating impact of this dangerous material on workers and the community.' Yet even today, decades later, asbestos-related disease continues to kill people. In fact, each year asbestos-related disease claims more lives than the national road toll.

The decades of widespread use mean asbestos remains present in many buildings, products and public spaces. As a result, the need for education about its dangers and the removal of products remains as strong as ever. It is something the government has taken to heart and we have been committed to significant national action in relation to dust disease, both asbestos as well as newer dangers, such as silicosis from engineered stone benches.

We were one of the first governments in Australia to publicly support the ban of engineered stone benches. In fact, we were willing to do it alone with a South Australian state-level ban if there wasn't a coordinated ban. Fortunately, we have seen every state and territory introduce a ban on engineered stone from 1 July last year. However, we know that passing a law or instituting a ban is only part of the solution.

These products continue as a legacy in our communities and it is essential that work be done to educate and warn about the safety and handling of these materials. There is still much to do, but I thank all the individuals and organisations for the work that they do in supporting victims of dust disease and protecting the community.