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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-05-13 Daily Xml
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International Workers' Memorial Day

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector. Can the minister tell the council about this year's Workers' Memorial Day events?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (15:10): I would be most happy to do so. As many in this chamber would be aware, 28 April is International Workers' Memorial Day. This is a day when we remember and commemorate workers who have been killed and injured at work and recommit ourselves to the essential task of ensuring every worker comes home safely at the end of each day.

The commemoration of Workers' Memorial Day is bookended by two notable events in Adelaide. The first was a service on the morning of 28 April at Pilgrim Uniting Church in the city, hosted by Voice of Industrial Death (VOID), a support and advocacy group for families affected by workplace deaths. This year's VOID event was very well attended by a cross-section of the community, including trade unions, health and safety officials and regulators, and many members of this chamber of parliament and other members of parliament and, most poignantly and importantly, the families who have suffered incredible loss from workplace tragedies.

The event included a range of readings and reflections, as well as the honour roll of workers who have lost their lives at work. It cannot go without noticing that the list of workers grows longer and longer every year. It is a stark reminder of the importance of safe workplaces. The founder of Voice of Industrial Death, Andrea Madeley, would be well known to many members in this chamber. Since the tragic death of her son Daniel in a workplace incident, she has been a staunch champion for the health and safety of workers.

This government, and myself as minister, have certainly benefited from Andrea's insights, and I am very pleased that she is a member of the SafeWork SA Advisory Committee, representing the interests of victims and their families. Andrea does incredible work on behalf of those families, and the significant time and effort that goes into organising the Workers' Memorial Day service is a testament to her commitment.

The other significant event bookending the Workers' Memorial Day events was the ceremony on the morning of Sunday 4 May at the Port Adelaide Workers Memorial. Each year, a single name is inscribed on the monument of the statue of Justice on the corner of Commercial Road in Port Adelaide, to commemorate a person who has made a significant contribution to promoting workers' rights.

Nobody could be more fitting of that honour than this year's recipient, Mick Tumbers. While many have described him as a giant of the labour movement, Mick Tumbers certainly took on that mantle in the work that he did. He was a towering figure, both physically and in his zeal and commitment to improving the lives of working people.

Few who encountered Mick will forget his deep, resonating, booming voice and his passionate call to action. Even fewer would probably follow everything Mick Tumbers said, because he had a mastery of the English language that few could intellectually keep up with. I strongly suspect some of the words that he used were actually made up, but I can't be certain because I don't understand most of the ones that were actual words that he used as well.

After beginning a metal trades apprenticeship at the age of 13, Mick became engaged in union activism and ultimately became an official of the Metal Workers' Union and its successor, the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, for nearly 40 years. Mick was a true leader, someone who could effortlessly command the attention of an entire room and lead his members fearlessly through the most challenging industrial fights. He could also command the absolute attention of rooms like the Labor Party state convention, where I know ministers in this government have been on the receiving end of some of his views that he put so forcefully.

He was also an irreplaceable friend and mentor to countless members, officials and activists within the broader labour movement, and particularly the left part of the Labor Party. His commitment, wisdom and guidance were a clear beacon in difficult times to many, many people, including myself. Mick sadly passed away two years ago from mesothelioma, after a lifetime of fighting for the health and safety of other working people. He is survived by his partner, Max, and his daughter, Shauna, who both spoke powerfully at the Workers' Memorial Day event about not only his commitment to the progress of working people but also his private life as a deeply loving and supportive father and partner.

We are all poorer for having lost Mick, but this Workers' Memorial Day the commemoration of his achievements reminds us of the refrain that is often repeated on the day: remember the dead, fight for the living.

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