Queensland man wins record $1.9m asbestos compensation claim

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 05:32 · Archive

A Queensland man has been awarded Australia's largest asbestosis compensation payment of nearly $1.9m.

Robin Smith, a Queensland man in his late 70s, has been awarded $1,897,000 plus legal costs in Australia's largest-ever asbestosis compensation claim following a trial in the Supreme Court of Queensland in August. He developed the chronic lung condition after exposure to asbestos during his work as a plumber, with most exposure occurring between 1981 and the mid-1990s when he worked for Queensland's Mackay Harbour Board, now known as the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation. He was using a demolition saw to cut into asbestos cement pipes.

Asbestosis is a deadly disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibres, with no cure, that can take 10 to 60 years to present. Smith sought damages for pain and suffering, and compensation for expenses and future care. With a life expectancy of five to six years, this was the first asbestosis judgment in Queensland.

The trial was held against Amaca – previously known as James Hardie & Coy – as well as North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation and WorkCover Queensland. Slater and Gordon lawyer Sean Sweeney stated that 'James Hardie & Coy knew, and large employers ought to have known, about the dangers of asbestos in the mid-1960s and early 1970s'. Asbestos products were banned in Australia on 31 December 2003, though some properties still contain asbestos.

How it is being reported

• Queensland man wins record $1.9m asbestos compensation claimA Queensland man who has only a handful of years left to live has been awarded Australia’s biggest asbestos compensation payment.Perth Now · 13 Oct, 05:03
• Queensland man wins record $1.9m asbestos compensation claimA Queensland man who has only a handful of years left to live has been awarded Australia’s biggest asbestos compensation payment.The West Australian · 13 Oct, 05:02

In this story: Robin Smith · Queensland · Amaca · James Hardie & Coy · North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation · Slater and Gordon Lawyers · Mackay Harbour Board

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