Senator Catryna Bilyk
Labor Senator for Tasmania
Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety
MEDIA RELEASE
A Fair Go For Tasmanian Firefighters
Senator Catryna Bilyk today called on the Tasmanian Government to deliver fairer treatment for firefighters claiming compensation for work-related illnesses such as cancer.
“Last year the Australian Parliament passed the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Fair Protection for Firefighters) Bill 2011. It sought to provide a presumption that if a firefighter develops a certain form of cancer, it is assumed to be work-related for the purpose of determining their workers’ compensation claim,” Senator Bilyk said.
Previously, it was almost always impossible for firefighters to prove that a cancer was caused through their occupation as a firefighter. They were unable to pinpoint a specific firefighting incident that was the cause of their cancer, as carcinogens build up in their system over a number of years.
“Firefighters who are killed or injured attending a fire incident are quite rightly given compensation for their injuries, and now firefighters employed under Commonwealth law who have developed certain occupationally caused cancers, and worked for the required qualifying periods, can also gain compensation,” Senator Bilyk said.
“It is vital that Tasmanian Fire Service members also be given adequate and fair compensation in the event of cancer-related illness.”
On 5 July 2011 the Senate referred the provisions of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Fair Protection for Firefighters) Bill to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee for inquiry and report.
Senator Bilyk said, “As a member of the committee, I had the opportunity to meet with firefighters in Canberra and in Tasmania to discuss this important issue with them. I heard their stories and I heard heartbreaking accounts of the suffering and struggles that firefighters with cancer and their families and loved ones go through trying to get compensation.
“I also had the opportunity to read the submissions to the inquiry. Some of the scientific evidence contained in the submissions to the inquiry is quite astounding. Scientific studies have shown that firefighters are at significantly increased risk of developing certain types of cancer.”
Senator Bilyk has lobbied the Tasmanian State Government, urging the Tasmanian Government to move amendments to the current legislation to ensure Tasmanian Fire Service members receive the same protection as their Federal counterparts.
Senator Catryna Bilyk Labor Senator for Tasmania
