[Lasnetmail] VTHC Media release - Vale Bernie Banton

[Lucho]

Vale Bernie Banton, a true Australian hero 
Wednesday Nov 28 



Bernie Banton has died. 



The tireless anti-asbestos campaigner   passed away peacefully in his sleep at 1am Tuesday morning. He was 61. Ironically, Bernie's death coincides with Asbestos Awareness Week in Victoria and NSW. 



Bernie Banton became the face of the union campaign  Make James Hardie Pay for the treatment and support of asbestos victims throughout the country. 



Mr Banton was a proud member of the AMWU and worked closely with unions on the ACTU campaign. Even after reaching a settlement with Hardie’s he continued to speak out and support other sufferers in receiving fair compensation from the company. The ACTU has set up an online condolence book. 



He campaigned right up until his death to see justice for asbestos disease sufferers, most recently shaming former Health Minister Tony Abbott into fast-tracking approval of the mesothelioma treatment drug, Alimta. 



VTHC Secretary Brian Boyd described Mr Banton as a great spirit who set a powerful example. 



“Bernie Banton was a tireless campaigner for those suffering asbestos diseases. His example will live on and his legacy will be the great success he had in holding James Hardie and its directors accountable for their actions.” 



Bernie Banton worked for James Hardie  Industries in the 1960s and 70s where he was exposed to asbestos daily. He had lived with asbestosis and asbestos-related pleural disease for many years. In August this year he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, to which he finally succumbed on Tuesday morning. 



Mr Banton has been described by friends and colleagues as a true Australian hero for his contribution to setting up the fund to compensate victims of asbestos. 



He will be honoured with a State funeral in NSW on Wednesday 5 December. 



Meanwhile, the thousands of victims of asbestos diseases have been remembered in ceremonies this week, in Melbourne, Geelong and Morwell.  Victorian unions and asbestos support groups launched Asbestos Awareness Week on Monday with the theme of “Asbestos -Unfinished Business”, calling for a Commonwealth Parliamentary Inquiry into asbestos and improvements in Victoria’s Asbestos Regulations. 




Bernie Banton, Vale

Read more on the OHS Reps website. Sign the the ACTU's condolence book.

Contact Margot Hoyte for more information on Asbestos Awareness Week.
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