Ballarat Gold Mine
Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (14:57): I rise to speak on a rather sombre and very serious matter. Last week in Ballarat there was a tragedy at the mine where a man, Mr Kurt Hourigan – he was just 37 years old – lost his life in what many people are describing as an utter tragedy. It really is a tragedy, because by all accounts he was a community man, someone that a lot of people looked up to and a colleague and a trusted friend to many. I pay tribute to all the first responders that were at the situation, dealing with Mr Hourigan, the 21-year-old that was caught under the rocks and also the 20-odd extra mineworkers that were caught underground as well, who were able to make it to one of the safety pods.