Asbestos victims are mourning the death of former NSW attorney-general Jeff Shaw this morning, saying he will be remembered for making radical changes to the legal system that resulted in thousands of victims and their families receiving compensation.
Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia president Barry Robson said one of Mr Shaw's most significant acts in his six years as Attorney General was the introduction of amendments in 1998 that abolished the statute of limitations on dust claims and removed the legal loophole that meant if a victim died during the case, his general damages died with him.
"The amendments that were passed in 1998 by the NSW Parliament represented one of the most significant law changes aimed at delivering social justice for working people in Australian history," Mr Robson said.
"His decision to champion these changes in cabinet, despite fierce opposition from many insurers and employer groups, delivered a system that has resulted in thousands of asbestos victims and their families receiving compensation worth tens of millions of dollars that they would otherwise have been denied.
"It is a testament to Jeff that identical amendments have since been passed in every state and territory in Australia, with his genuine national reform preserving the general damages of thousands of victims into the future.
"He was a man of genuine principal, he believed in social justice, and he followed those beliefs through for asbestos victims, making it a lot easier for the working people who were exposed to this deadly substance.
"Best of all his changes meant an end to the dreadful, gruelling bedside hearings that would stretch on as victims lay dying in hospital, knowing that unless they outlived the case their families would miss out on compensation."
For further information
Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia
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