LAUNCH OF PGARD

Launch of Parliamentary Group on

On Tuesday, November 22, Russell, (as co-chair of theParliamentary Group on Asbestos Related Disease), attended the official launch of the group at Parliament House.This was during Asbestos Awareness Week. Co-chair, Senator Lisa Singh, was also in attendance along with many supporters from Gippsland.

Australia has one of the highest rates of asbestos related disease in the world, with nearly 10,000 recorded cases of mesothelioma since records began in the 1980s. While most of this is attributed to men who worked with asbestos up until the 1980s, the rate of diagnosis in women is increasing as we begin to experience a third wave of sufferers from home renovations.

Too many lives have been affected by asbestos-related disease and together we must work to ensure this does not continue needlessly into the future. PGARD aims to be a conduit between the local community and the parliament on asbestos related issues. We must work together to address the asbestos-related issues which exist both here in Australia and also on the international stage.

Russell is pictured with Matt Peacock who was the guest speaker and has written a book on the subject.