Skip to content
Government Federal, Industrial Relations

D-Day for engineered stone ban

CFMEU < 1 min read

Federal, state and territory ministers must lock in a total ban on engineered stone or risk having blood on their hands, the CFMEU said today.

Work health and safety ministers will meet on Wednesday afternoon to discuss Safe Work Australia's recommendation to ban engineered stone.

Safe Work Australia found there was no safe way to work with the product, which causes silicosis and other deadly lung diseases when it is cut.

CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith called on all governments to make the right decision. 

"Ministers can only choose one option if they care about the lives of Australian workers," he said.

"We need a total ban on the import, manufacture and use of engineered stone.

"Any politician that fails to support a ban coming into place on July 1 next year will have blood on their hands.

"The road to this day has been paved with tragic stories of workers sentenced to death for simply doing their job.

"Anything less than a total ban on the asbestos of this generation would be a betrayal of all those families shattered by this killer stone."

 


Contact details:

For interviews contact Matt Coughlan 0400 561 480 / [email protected]

More from this category

  • Environment, Government Federal
  • 13/03/2026
  • 10:31
Battery Stewardship Council - B-cycle

$2.1b battery recycling sector critical to Australia’s sovereign capability

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 13 MARCH 2025 $2.1b battery recycling sector critical to Australia’s sovereign capability Industry urges national battery stewardship framework Australia’s battery materials recovery ecosystem already contributes $2.1 billion to the economy each year, supports 19,450 jobs, and includes more than 45 facilities nationwide, according to a new industry profile released by the Association for the Battery Recycling Industry (ABRI). The sector is projected to grow to $6.9 billion and 34,650 jobs by 2050. Battery Stewardship Council CEO Libby Chaplin said these figures demonstrate why battery stewardship should be recognised as a strategic industrial priority, not simply a waste…

  • Energy, Government Federal
  • 13/03/2026
  • 07:00
Rewiring Australia

BULLI MEDIA ALERT: Federal MPs welcome expansion of home electrification pilot

MEDIA ALERT: Federal MPs welcome expansion of home electrification pilot Who: Assistant Minister for Energy, Josh Wilson MP, Member for Fremantle Ms Alison Byrnes MP, Member for Cunningham Dr. Saul Griffith, Co-founder and Chief Scientist, Rewiring Australia Jennifer Macey (householder) What: Doorstop with opportunity for interviews When: Friday 13 March, 3pm Where: 11 Beattie Ave, Bulli, NSW The Story: Bulli locals can now team up with their neighbours to cut power bills and modernise their homes as part of an expansion to an ambitious community-driven electrification push underway in the NSW Illawarra led by Rewiring Australia. Households in the 2515…

  • Finance Investment, Government Federal
  • 13/03/2026
  • 06:01
ACOSS

South Australia benefits far less than eastern states from capital gains tax discount

People in South Australia receive the third-lowest benefit from the capital gains tax (CGT) discount in the nation, while wealthy electorates in Sydney and Melbourne benefit the most, new ACOSS analysis shows. South Australia receives just 4% of national expenditure on the CGT concession, worth around $992m per year, an average of just $907 per person, with only Tasmania and the Northern Territory benefitting less. It receives less than half the average per person benefit received by New South Wales. The electorate of Sturt benefits the most in South Australia but is still ranked only 31st nationally, receiving $193 million…

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.