Union vows to maintain push for national engineered stone ban

National construction union, CFMEU, says it will “continue its fight” for a ban on engineered stone products after the Federal Government announced that it would consider its prohibition.

The union welcomed the announcement from Federal Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke, who says he will task Safe Work Australia to explore available steps towards a ban on the product, which has been linked towards increasing silicosis diagnoses.

The announcement followed a unanimous agreement between unions and Work Health and Safety Ministers to examine the details of a ban.

Mr Burke says Safe Work Australia will “scope out” the details of a potential ban but acknowledges that implementing the changes “doesn’t move quickly” despite fast-tracking the decision from July next year.

“Now that Ministers have agreed to this accelerated timeframe Safe Work will immediately begin work on what a ban could look like and how to implement it,” Mr Burke said.

“We can’t keep delaying this. The Government is not willing to wait around the way people did with asbestos.”

Incoming CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith described the decision as a “great step” towards the prohibition of the “killer stone,” but says the union will “not rest until it’s illegal to import and manufacture engineered stone in Australia”.

“The CFMEU’s position is unmoved. If governments don’t carry through on banning engineered stone, the union will. July 2024 remains our deadline,” Mr Smith said.

Mr Smith says the Federal Government should also look to integrate a licensing scheme for existing engineered stone products.

“Alongside a ban, we think it’s a sensible step for ministers commit to a licensing scheme for products already out there, similar to the way asbestos is dealt with,” he said.

“But you can’t have one without the other. That’s why it’s absolutely critical this commitment becomes an enforceable ban as soon as possible.”

Mr Burke says Safe Work Australia will examine how a national licensing scheme would be implemented and where the “line would be drawn” for existing products.

“People would be aware that not all engineered stone is at 97, 98 per cent silica; there are some forms that are at much lower levels of percentages and therefore present a much lower risk.” Mr Burke said.

Stonemason Tristan Wilson, who was diagnosed with silicosis five years into his career, says a ban would be a “huge win” for the industry but warns that more work is needed to address working conditions and compensation availability.

He says his workplace was extremely dusty with limited ventilation and that he was only provided with a paper mask ahead of WorkSafe visits.

“It might be too late for me, but banning engineered stone is a huge win for stonemasons who are still working in the industry as well as the next generation who hopefully won’t get sick from the stuff like I did,” Mr Wilson said.

“Engineered stone is a cheaper alternative to marble and granite kitchen benchtops but doing something on the cheap always spells trouble.”

“A ban is a good first step, but politicians also need to make it easier for stonemasons who have silicosis and other lung diseases to access compensation because families are struggling to make ends meet.”