Leading law firm Slater and Gordon Lawyers has won Australia's largest-ever asbestosis compensation payment on record - $1,897,000 plus legal costs - for a Queensland man suffering from the disease.
Mr Robin Smith, now in his late 70s, developed asbestosis after exposure to asbestos while working as a plumber from the mid-1960s onwards.
Most of Mr Smith's exposure to asbestos occurred between 1981 and the mid 1990s, during his employment with the Queensland Government's Mackay Harbour Board (now known as the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation Limited), whilst using a demolition saw to cut into asbestos cement pipes when working on the water lines throughout the port.
Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition caused by inhaling asbestos fibres, that can take 10 to 60 years to present. It is a progressive, slow death over time; there is no cure.
The trial was held from 17 to 20 August 2026 against Amaca Pty Ltd (previously known as James Hardie & Coy), North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, and WorkCover Queensland for Mr Smith's earlier de-registered employers.
The judgement was handed down on 8 October 2026 in the Supreme Court of Queensland; it is the first asbestosis judgment in Queensland.
Experts told the Court that Mr Smith's asbestosis is progressive, irreversible, and will be fatal. He now has a life expectancy of around five to six years.
Mr Smith sought damages for pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, and compensation for past and future expenses and future care. Of the total damages awarded, Mr Smith received $800,000 for pain and suffering.
"James Hardie & Coy knew, and large employers ought to have known, about the dangers of asbestos in the mid-1960s and early 1970s. The fact that Mr Smith experienced such extreme asbestos exposure into the 1990s is deeply concerning," Slater and Gordon lawyer, Sean Sweeney, said.
Slater and Gordon has represented dust disease and asbestos-related compensation cases for over 40 years. It conducted Australia's first successful common law asbestos litigation case in 1984.
Only four other dust disease cases have gone to judgment in Queensland over recent decades, and none specifically for asbestosis, until now.
"Asbestosis is a devastating diagnosis. It's often a debilitating disease that progresses over a long period of time, taking a devastating toll on victims and their families. This judgment serves as a critical reminder about the dangers of asbestos," Mr Sweeney said.
"At Slater and Gordon, we stand beside our clients, to ensure they feel seen and heard, and to help them access justice."
Asbestos products were banned in Australia on 31 December 2003, however one in three properties still contain asbestos; some recent exposures include a 19-year-old exposed at school and a 40-year-old exposed in a housing commission renovation in 2000.
"Asbestos remains a very present and ongoing risk for Australians. It can still be in our homes, workplaces and schools so we must remain vigilant," Mr Sweeney said.
"Slater and Gordon is proud of our experience representing clients in dust disease matters, and more broadly in advocating for workers' rights and safety."
