AN INDEPENDENT inquiry into use of toxic chemicals by former Victorian Lands Department workers has gained impetus with federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten joining the call for a broader investigation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Shorten worked at the Australian Workers Union alongside Dr Yossi Berger, who was hired in 1993 as the union's first national safety director and received multiple complaints about the use of toxic chemicals by former weed eradicators.
Dr Berger previously told The Courier that complaints by spray hands regarding chemical use were ignored by authorities and unions before his time with the AWU.
Mr Shorten on Wednesday urged the Victorian Government to push for more than an internal investigation.
"I certainly welcome an investigation, and congratulate the Ballarat Courier for its coverage of this issue," Mr Shorten said.
"I do urge the Victorian Government to seriously consider the need for a broader, more transparent inquiry into the use of these toxic chemicals and the long term effects on former workers."
The Victorian Government said on Tuesday it would launch an inquiry into the issue led by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries - the successor to the Lands Department - in consultation with the Victorian WorkCover Authority.
However the AWU has called for an independent and public inquiry.
Mr Shorten joined the AWU in 1994 and became the state secretary of the Victoria branch from 1998 to 2006 and the national secretary from 2001 to 2007. He said his work with Dr Berger lead to the cessation of several toxic chemicals in workplaces.
In 2003, a Western Australian state government inquiry into the use of toxic chemicals by a similar department found that 27 workers still living should be eligible for compensation.
david.jeans@fairfaxmedia.com.au
