Queensland senior receives Australia’s largest asbestosis payout of nearly $1.9 million

Robin Smith, now in his late 70s, secured a landmark compensation award of $1,897,000 after a Supreme Court of Queensland trial in August. Smith developed asbestosis after decades of exposure while cutting asbestos-cement pipes as a plumber for the Mackay Harbour Board, now North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, between the 1960s and mid-1990s. The lawsuit named Amaca—formerly James Hardie & Coy—along with the port authority and WorkCover Queensland, holding them liable for his pain, suffering and future care costs. Smith’s prognosis is five to six years, and his legal team emphasized that employers should have known the dangers as early as the mid-1960s. The judgment, the first of its kind in Queensland, serves as a stark reminder that asbestos remains present in many Australian structures despite the 2003 ban.