Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On this day 45 years ago, a 114-milimetre gap between spans 10 and 11 of the West Gate Bridge gave way and 2,000 tonnes of steel and concrete fell 58 metres into the Yarra. Thirty five workers lost their lives that day, either in the fall, through being hit by metal and concrete shrapnel or by the later fire. The reverberations from the bridge hitting the muddy water shook buildings for kilometres. It was the largest industrial incident in Australia's history. For those who were alive at the time, the collapse of the West Gate remains a defining moment. People in Melbourne's west remember where they were when they first heard the news and the fear that they felt in the aftermath. This was especially the case for the people who lost loved ones, co-workers and friends. The subsequent royal commission found that a litany of structural design and safety failures contributed to the bridge's collapse. In the wake of the disaster, the trade union movement successfully prosecuted the case for complete reform of health and safety standards and procedures, including employee representation on safety committees and stronger safety and compliance laws, not only for construction workers but for workers throughout Australia.

Forty-five years on, the West Gate is one of the iconic images of Melbourne's skyline and a symbol of Melbourne's west. The lives lost in its construction will always be part of the bridge's history. We should never forget the people whose lives were lost in its construction and the ongoing importance of safe workplaces. On the 45th anniversary of the collapse of the West Gate Bridge, we remember the loss of life, the pain and suffering of the survivors and the ongoing anguish of their families and the community of Melbourne's west. Get home safe every day.