2024 Review of the Dust Diseases Scheme
2 October 2024
The ALA's Dust Diseases Special Interest Group made a submission to the NSW Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice (Committee) has published stakeholder submissions to the 2024 Review of the Dust Diseases Scheme (2024 Review).
The Committee’s focus for the 2024 Review is on support available to younger workers within the Dust Diseases Scheme (Scheme) in NSW, as well as risk areas for silicosis. In our submission, we address both these focus areas and contend that the Scheme is ill-suited to address the needs of younger workers, especially those diagnosed with accelerated forms of silicosis in the stonemasonry and tunnelling industries.
ALA Dust Diseases SIG members Nicole Valenti and Tim McGinley also gave evidence on behalf of the ALA at a public hearing held by the Committee at NSW Parliament House in November 2024.
In January 2025 the ALA then provided responses to supplementary questions from the Committee.
In light of the NSW Court of Appeal decision in Workers Compensation Nominal Insurer v Sako [2025] NSWCA 12, the ALA sent additional correspondence to the Committee on 1 June 2025.
The NSW Government has published its response to the Final Report.
ALA submission
Hearing testimony from Nicole Valenti and Tim McGinley (29 November 2024), pp.25-32
Responses to supplementary questions
Additional correspondence
Final report
NSW Government response