Asbestos disease sufferers would be worse off under the NSW Government’s plan to roll the specialist Dust Diseases Tribunal into a one-size-fits-all tribunal covering everything from consumer complaints to rental disputes, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union said today.

The State Government is examining options to roll NSW’s dozens of tribunals into one body.

“While there are efficiencies to be found in the consolidation of some NSW tribunals, the specialist structures NSW has in place for victims of asbestos-related illness must be exempt,” said AMWU NSW Secretary Tim Ayres.

“Sufferers of asbestos-related diseases and their families have serious and complex health and financial issues that the bodies in place have been designed to manage.

“The people appearing before the Dust Diseases Board and Tribunal are either dying of terminal illnesses or have recently lost a family member; and facing crippling medical expenses.

“They should not be made to suffer further from a narrow cost-cutting approach resulting in a one-size-fits-all process not tailored to their needs.

“The bodies in place are efficient and effective in assessing and awarding compensation for victims of asbestos diseases. It is the most vulnerable people, dying because of exposure to asbestos at work, who will pay the price for this move.”

The AMWU has made a submission to the NSW Government’s Inquiry into the consolidation of tribunals, calling on the government to guarantee the future of the Dust Diseases Tribunal in its current form.

The call is backed by asbestos disease sufferers and their families. Eileen Day, whose husband died of mesothelioma leaving her with a family to support, praised the role Dust Diseases Tribunal played at a difficult time of her life.

“Why change something that's working: it's an extremely difficult time in your life and the judges and staff are all very sensitive, I think it would be a tragedy for it to go."