Career
Bernie himself suffered from asbestosis, Asbestos-Related Pleural Disease (ARPD) and then finally peritoneal mesothelioma. These conditions required him to carry an oxygen tank wherever he went. The 2009 book Killer Company details Banton"s fight against James Hardie.
Banton brought an action against Amaca Pty Limited before the Dust Diseases Tribunal of New South Wales.
In October 2007, in the midst of the 2007 federal election campaign, Banton expressed his disgust at Minister for Health Tony Abbott, calling him "a gutless creep" for not attending an arranged meeting at his electorate office in Sydney to be presented with a petition to include a mesothelioma drug on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Abbott, who had been in Victoria at the time, dismissed the petition as a "stunt" and implied that, despite his illness, Banton"s motives were not "pure of heart".
Abbott later apologised, but did not back away from his criticism. In his victory speech on 24 November after winning the election, the Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd paid special tribute to Banton, saying that he represented the "great Australian trade union movement" and was a beacon of decency in his fight for compensation.
Bernie Banton died at his home on 27 November, just three days after the election.
