Ballarat Gold Mine
Natalie HUTCHINS (Sydenham – Minister for Jobs and Industry, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Minister for Women) (09:46): I rise to speak on the devastating and avoidable workplace incident that has occurred. On Wednesday last week two goldminers were working 500 metres underground air legging and were pinned beneath fallen rocks. This is a manual form of mining that most companies have stopped using due to safety concerns. A 21-year-old miner is still fighting for his life in hospital and another miner, a 37-year-old man from Bruthen Kurt Hourigan, was killed. My thoughts are with his family and friends and all those involved, particularly the 200 workers at the site that need to return to the site to earn a living. Tragically, this is the 12th workplace death this year alone, and everyone should have the right to return home to their families safely after a hard day’s work.
I acknowledge the great work done by the Australian Workers’ Union secretary Ronnie Hayden and his strong support of the families and workers at the Ballarat Gold Mine. I commend Ronnie and his team of organisers for their unwavering commitment to workplace safety and ensuring workers are always at the forefront of the union’s mind. I will be awaiting the outcomes of the investigation, and any culpable parties should be held to account. Victoria’s industrial manslaughter laws are a critical mechanism to ensure this occurs. Can I thank the members for Eureka and Wendouree for their great advocacy and for again standing up for local workers in their electorates.