Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to honour the memory of a friend and colleague, Ian Harrington. Ian leaves behind his wife of 42 years, Fran, his five children, Tricia, Cheryl, Linda, Michelle and Greg, and 14 grandchildren whom he adored and who adored him.

Ian lived for his family. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends. He was a modest man but a man of incredible strength and capacity. In his younger days he was a champion high-board diver, winning many state and national competitions. Such was his modesty that not many of his friends or colleagues knew of his skills and talent in this sporting field.

Ian died recently of mesothelioma, contracted during his working life as a fitter. Mesothelioma is a horrible disease contracted by exposure to airborne asbestos fibres. It is a tragedy that Ian Harrington, who campaigned against the use of asbestos while he was a rank and file delegate and an elected official of the AMWU, became another working-class victim of asbestos related disease. Mesothelioma is a horrible, destructive disease that inevitably results in an agonising and debilitating death.

The incidence of death from meso­thelioma is increasing. It afflicts Australians who have worked with asbestos in many industries, including manufacturing, engineering, our wharfs and the building industry. We should never forget that companies like James Hardy and CSR made huge profits from asbestos and from the suffering and devastation that this product brings to working-class Australians and their families.

We must continue to be vigilant and ensure that employers who expose workers to asbestos related disease are held to account through appropriate legislative and legal processes. Through the hard work of the trade union movement, all forms of asbestos have been banned since the end of 2003. Unfortunately, despite the ban asbestos is still common in many older houses. Ian would have wanted me to issue a general warning to all householders to be extremely careful if they come across asbestos in a domestic situation and to ensure its removal by properly trained personnel.

Ian served his apprenticeship as a fitter and travelled the world as an engineer in the merchant navy. He worked for many years at Shell's Clyde refinery in the maintenance team. It was at the Shell refinery that he met his good mate David Hughes. David delivered a moving tribute to Ian at his recent funeral. David spoke of the kindness and support that Ian gave to him and everyone else that he came in contact with. The high regard in which Ian was held resulted in his election as the metal trades union delegate at Shell. Ian held that position for almost 15 years. In that time Ian gained the enormous respect not only of his workmates but also of other delegates in the oil industry and the union and of the employers.

Ian was seen as a tough negotiator and an honest person, a voracious defender of workers' rights and conditions and one who would never back away from a dispute if workers' rights were being challenged. In his capacity as a highly competent union delegate, Ian was recognised by his union, the AMWU, where he became a union organiser, a position he held for 10 years. It was during this time that I became a friend and colleague of Ian's. found Ian to be a tough and courageous organiser who would never leave you wondering what he thought. He was involved in many tough industrial disputes but always came out of them with the respect of his members and the employers. I have always said that a good union organiser instils confidence in their members, knows the benefits of education and training and fearlessly and tirelessly works for their members. If I was a worker in trouble I would have been extremely confident when Ian Harrington walked onto the job that my interests were going to be looked after by a tough, professional union official. Ian represented workers on the shop floor and as an advocate in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, where his capacity for research, preparation and advocacy helped thousands of workers over his career.

Ian's trade skills were recognised by the former state and federal minister the Hon. Bob Debus when he seconded Ian to his office to help establish the trade courses that are now offered to TAFE students in New South Wales high schools as part of their curriculum. Ian spent his final few working years as a member services manager with the Superannuation Trust of Australia, now called Australian Super. Ian very quickly became an expert in superannuation matters and was a fantastic advocate for industry superannuation and the rights of workers to retire with dignity and security.

Ian was nominated for Senior Australian of the Year for his ongoing contribution to the welfare of others during his lifetime. This was most appropriate, as Ian spent the major part of his life trying to improve the lot of working people, even after he retired. In his retirement, Ian enjoyed a couple of beers with his mates and fishing at Fingal Bay in New South Wales. My wife, Elaine, and I visited Fran and Ian in Fingal Bay not long after he had been diagnosed with mesothelioma. He had a lovely home, a loving wife, fantastic kids and wonderful grandkids. It is an absolute tragedy that asbestos and mesothelioma destroyed Ian's retirement and his life.

Ian was optimistic about his condition but also realistic. His good mate David noted that, when Ian was in the final stages of the disease, his strength and courage amazed everyone. Despite his personal battle with the horrible disease that is mesothelioma, Ian always had a genuine concern for others and was always wondering how he could help them with their problems. As David said, 'Let's not remember the way he died but, rather, how he lived—as a genuine and good man.'

It is important also to remember that Ian was taken from his family and his friends by a disease that was avoidable. We must never forget that workers die while building this nation. I am sure that Ian and his family and the families of the thousands of workers who lose their lives through industrial accidents or industrial disease will applaud the decision of the government to honour the memory of workers who lose their lives while building this nation by building a national workers memorial in Canberra. People like Ian should be remembered for their efforts, and their families should have a place to remember them and contemplate their lives together when they visit the national capital. The memorial will be a fitting tribute to Ian and his fellow workers who have lost their lives as a result of their employment. I congratulate the Prime Minister and Minister Evans for supporting this important symbol of the nation's recognition of the sacrifice of workers. I pay tribute to the government, the coalition, the Greens and the Independents, who have worked together to ensure that a memorial for people like Ian Harrington will be built in the national capital.

Vale, Ian Harrington. You were a good man, a union man and a great family man. You will be sadly missed.