Legal status Foundation Official language English | Location Australia | |
 | ||
Formation 9 September 2011 (2011-09-09) Type Not-for-profit organisation Purpose Asbestos awareness, asbestos education and advocacy on behalf of asbestos victims | ||
The Bernie Banton Foundation is an Australian not-for-profit organisation devoted to asbestos awareness, asbestos education and advocacy on behalf of asbestos victims. The foundation "aims to make a difference by helping to alleviate exposure to asbestos, in the hope of eventual eradication of asbestos related disease. The foundation was launched by the Prime Minister, The Hon Kevin Rudd, on September 9, 2011 at Sydney's Concord Hospital.
Foundation's Namesake
The foundation is named after Bernard Douglas (Bernie) Banton AM, an Australian social justice campaigner. Bernie rose to national prominence through being the face of the legal and political campaign to secure compensation for the many victims of asbestos-related conditions, which they contracted after either working for the company James Hardie or being exposed to James Hardie Industries' products.
Bernie himself suffered from asbestosis, Asbestos-Related Pleural Disease (ARPD) and then finally peritoneal mesothelioma. These conditions required him to carry an oxygen tank wherever he went. Both the 2009 book Killer Company by Matt Peacock and the 2012 docu-drama mini-series, Devil's Dust screened by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation portray Banton's fight against James Hardie.