Mr Fluffy asbestos campaigner dies after compensation fund win

Mr Fluffy asbestos campaigner dies after compensation fund win

James Wallner, who successfully campaigned for governmental support for victims of ‘Mr Fluffy’ asbestos, has died of pleural mesothelioma. 

Mr Wallber contracted the disease after the house he and his family grew up was found to contain loose-fill asbestos insulation. 

His brother Bruce told ABC News that there was a sense of “a relief that his suffering is at an end” but that his brother’s death “should never have happened”.

“He forfeited some 10,000 days of rich life. The days when you are at the peak of your career, see kids take flight, marry and have kids of their own.”

James Wallner and his brothers remember playing in piles of asbestos in their family home. They also recall asbestos dust falling from the ceiling of the home, and his mother sealing up a kitchen vent with aluminium foil to stop the dust falling on their food. 

The Mr Fluffy product wasn’t bonded, meaning the workplace asbestos exposure compensation scheme wasn’t available for victims and compensation from the company was impossible, as it closed several decades ago.

Mr Wallner was a vocal advocate for fellow victims and lobbied the federal and ACT governments to establish a compensation fund for those affected, outside the existing James Hardie compensation fund.

On Wednesday of last week, the federal Health Minister announced that it would co-fund an asbestos assistance scheme, with $16 million in funding announced to support eligible victims. 

Mr Wallner will be remembered as an advocate for asbestos victims, and his legacy will work to support victims for many years to come. 

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