Bernard Douglas Banton AM (13 October 1946 – 27 November 2007) was an Australian social justice campaigner. He was the widely recognized face of the legal and political campaign to achieve compensation for the many sufferers of asbestos-related conditions, which they contracted after either working for the company

James Hardie James Hardie Industries plc is a global building materials company and the largest global manufacturer of fibre cement products. Headquartered in Ireland, it is a dual-listed company, being listed on the Australian and New York Stock Exchanges. ...

or being exposed to James Hardie Industries' products. Banton himself suffered from multiple forms of asbestos-related diseases, being diagnosed with

asbestosis Asbestosis is long-term inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis, scarring of the human lung, lungs due to asbestos, asbestos fibers. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest pain, chest tightness. Complications may include ...

and also asbestos-related pleural disease (ARPD) in January 1999 after having worked at James Hardie Industries, decades earlier, making asbestos lagging. These conditions required him to carry an oxygen tank wherever he went. On the 17 August 2007, he was also diagnosed with terminal

peritoneal The peritoneum is the serous membrane forming the lining of the abdominal cavity or coelom in amniotes and some invertebrates, such as annelids. It covers most of the intra-abdominal (or coelomic) organs, and is composed of a layer of mesothe ...

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...

asbestos cancer, dying a short 103 days later. The 2009 book ''

Killer Company ''Killer Company: James Hardie Exposed'' is a 2009 Australian book by journalist Matt Peacock. Overview The book documents how the use of harmful asbestos fibre in building materials produced by James Hardie Industries "led to the deaths of tho ...

'' details Banton's fight against James Hardie.Angela Welsh
Review: Killer Company
''The Walkley Foundation'', 27 October 2009. Banton brought an action against Amaca Pty Ltd before the Dust Diseases Tribunal of New South Wales.

Other campaigning

Banton's final campaign public appearance was In October 2007, during the midst of the

2007 federal election This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not i ...

campaign. Banton attempted to personally present Minister for Health Tony Abbott, 28th Prime Minister of Australia">List of Prime Ministers of Australia">28th Prime Minister of Australiawith a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

to include a drug for treating malignant mesothelioma on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. When Minister Abbott was not in attendance at his Manly (Sydney), NSW electoral office, Banton called him "a gutless

creep Creep, Creeps or CREEP may refer to: People * Creep, a creepy person Politics * Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), mockingly abbreviated as CREEP, an fundraising organization for Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign Art ...

". Responding, Minister Abbott, who had been in Victoria at the time, was quoted as saying, "Let's be upfront about this. I know Bernie is very sick, but just because a person is sick doesn't necessarily mean that he is pure of heart in all things." He then dismissed the presenting of the petition (at his office) as a "stunt", as he was not aware that Mr Banton had planned to present the petition at his Sydney office until it was too late. Minister Abbott apologised personally to Banton the following morning with Banton offering his own apology in return. In his victory speech on 24 November after winning the election, the Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd paid special tribute to Banton, saying that he represented the "great Australian trade union movement" and was a beacon of decency in his fight for compensation. Banton died at his home on 27 November, just three days after the election.

Honours

In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 13 June 2005 he was made a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

"for service to the community, particularly as an advocate for people affected by asbestos-related illnesses". Banton's family accepted the NSW government's offer of a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

, which was held on 5 December 2007. Both the Australian and the NSW state flags were lowered to half mast that day on all NSW government buildings and establishments, as a mark of respect. On 21 January 2009, a new asbestos diseases research institute at Sydney's Concord Repatriation General Hospital was named the Bernie Banton Centre. The facility is the world's first standalone research facility dedicated to the treatment and prevention of asbestos-related diseases. The

Bernie Banton Bridge The Bernie Banton Bridge is a multi-span concrete girder bridge located in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. Built in 1971, the bridge carries two lanes of vehicular traffic with two pedestrian sidewalks. The bridge was built to replace t ...

, which carries Marsden Street over the

Parramatta River The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Seco ...

in Parramatta also bears his name. Banton also had a foundation named in his honour. The

Bernie Banton Foundation The Bernie Banton Foundation was an Australian not-for-profit organisation founded in June 2009 by its CEO, Karen Banton, the widow of Bernie Banton AM. It was an Australian national (New South Wales based and registered) mesothelioma cancer, an ...

was an Australian not-for-profit organisation devoted to asbestos awareness and education, support and patient advocacy on behalf of asbestos related disease sufferers, their carers and loved ones. The Foundation's aim was to be: ‘The voice of reason for Australian asbestos related disease sufferers, their carers and loved ones, allied health and care providers, and to the wider community.’ The foundation was launched by the Prime Minister, The Hon Kevin Rudd, on 11 September 2009 at Sydney's Concord Repatriation General Hospital.

References

External links

* *
Homepage of the Bernie Banton website
_{Retrieved 29 June 2013} {{DEFAULTSORT:Banton, Bernie 1946 births 2007 deaths Deaths from mesothelioma People from Sydney Australian trade unionists Members of the Order of Australia Deaths from cancer in New South Wales

Other campaigning

Honours

See also

References

External links