[Greens-Media] After Two Years Greens Welcome Labor Govt Backdown on CFS Cancer Compo Equality

[Franks, Office]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE      October 20, 2014

After Two Years Greens Welcome Labor Govt Backdown on CFS Cancer Compo Equality

After a two year campaign, The Greens today welcomed the Weatherill Government's announcement conceding the Labor Party MPs will now finally vote to support CFS cancer compensation equality through presumptive WorkCover laws.

Greens' IR Spokesperson, Tammy Franks MLC, said: "It may have taken the Labor Government some years to recognise what every non-Labor elected member of the South Australian Parliament has already voted for, some three times over, but we welcome Labor's final resolution nevertheless.

"Carcinogens don't discriminate so it is about time that this Weatherill Labor Government stopped discriminating between paid and unpaid firefighters on this important issue.

"Today we celebrate a victory for CFS volunteers who put their lives on the line for our State that should they contract one of the 12 scheduled firefighting related cancers, and meet the qualifying periods (of between 5 to 25 years), then the state won't fight their right to worker's compensation.

"The victory is due to the long and tireless efforts of the CFS Volunteers Association as well as individuals such as Neal Smith a former CFS Firefighter from Volunteer Fire Fighters and Cancer Risk Group and Firefighter Cancer Foundation Australia.
"This victory is also now part of the legacy of John Ames a former CFS firefighter who passed away in late 2012. Mr Ames was a non-smoker who contracted oesophageal cancer and at the time his service was of 'only' 22 years which would not have yet even qualified him for this presumptive legislation. (25 years for primary site oesophageal cancer). It was one of Mr Ames' dying wishes to see this law enacted to protect his CFS comrades," Ms Franks concluded.

Ms Franks who has previously moved two private members bills and an amendment to the previous Government bill on this matter. She currently has an amendment to the Government's Return To Work Bill and a Private Members Bill on the notice paper that would enact CFS cancer compensation equality.

Media Contact: Yesha Joshi 0457 549 938


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