Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Beaconsfield—it is the best of times and the worst of times. All Tasmania felt for the families anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones who were trapped in the historical mine at Beaconsfield, celebrated their recovery and were also deeply saddened by the loss of Larry Knight. I want to pass on the support of members of parliament, the community and myself to the families, to all those involved with the rescue of Todd Russell and Brant Webb, and to those who recovered Larry before the others were found.

Mining is dangerous business. It behoves those who gather wealth from the mining industry to ensure that workplaces are as safe as they can be and that no effort is spared when an accident occurs. Beaconsfield is a historical mine—because it is old it can have certain risks inherent in its structure. But there are times when things untoward happen with no warning. We were left to rely on those with the expertise to dig and drill, which left the rest of us to hope and pray that those men would be brought back to safety. It had that bittersweet ending.

At any time in history mining has been dangerous. The conditions people have worked under, and in some countries are still working under, are just horrific. Miners can be exposed to extraordinary health hazards, including lead poisoning, silicosis from inhaling dust from poorly ventilated shafts, and rheumatism from working in cold and damp conditions. Added to this, the dangers of working with explosives and unguarded machinery—not to mention the natural dangers of seismic conditions, which do prevail in Tasmania—make mining Australia’s most hazardous occupation. Tasmanians know this only too well, with a number of deaths occurring in mines in the last 10 years, and many of those could have been avoided. But the risks can be minimised, and working rules must be adhered to to ensure that those risks are limited.

These days miners are highly trained, and they have special groups that train the rescue teams, which make them multiskilled and allow them to attempt rescues where no ordinary SES person would go. This training is based on the union health and safety regulations and developed and run by unions. If you work underground, you get to know the signs. You can tell what is going on, and risks can be calculated up to a point, provided you are given the right information by those that plan the work. So, if those workers say no, you know the situation is highly dangerous—and this is what happened at Beaconsfield.

One miner, Larry Knight, died in this accident. Other miners would have known that it was only a matter of a minor shudder in the ground that could have seen the remaining workers crushed by the rocks that were shielding them. The workers and their union—in this case, the Australian Workers Union—knew the risks and swung in their very best to ensure a slow and painstakingly careful process was followed. The mine management and the union cooperated to undertake this miracle rescue.

However, I am not confident that, when the new workplace regulations bite, such a successful arrangement will be possible in the future. If unions are not allowed to undertake training in health and safety, the interests of those who take the risks are not being catered for. It is only human nature for those who are providing the capital to minimise costs, and they may cut important corners. Training will be less stringent, leaving risks to be heightened. Sure, miners make good money, but they are not paid to risk their lives. All resource extractions—whether it be mining, fishing, forestry or manufacturing—have elements of risk. Machines and man do not go naturally together. Therefore, the utmost care must be taken and no expense spared. But, like risk, expense can be minimised if proper training is allowed and catered for. This exercise at Beaconsfield has proven that cooperation and careful work can ensure that risks can be overcome and that, if something does happen, it is possible to deal with it without further endangering lives. There will have to be a full investigation as to how Larry Knight died, because no-one should be put into a situation where they risk their life when they go to work.

I would like to say of the wonderful Beaconsfield township that when the chips were down they held together and worked hard. You will now need to keep the faith for Larry’s family, continue to help them through this awful time and help them to come out with happy memories and the spirit to move forward without him. The next move is to see what happens to the mine and to the community. The future is in the hands of the people of Beaconsfield to determine how they want to go forward—with or without a mine. It is a lovely place and it has the best people in the world living there at the moment. Good luck to everybody. I will be there supporting you every which way I can.