The Andrews Labor Government stands alongside all Victorian workers in commemorating International Workers Memorial Day 2015.
The lives of 20 workers who died in Victoria over the last 12 months have been remembered in a moving tribute at the Victorian Trades Hall this morning as part of International Workers Memorial Day.
Pairs of shoes were laid out to symbolise each workplace fatality that had occurred in the State since 28 April 2014.
Minister for Finance, Robin Scott, led the tribute, alongside Victorian Trades Hall Council Secretary Luke Hilakari, as a gesture of condolence to the families left behind in the wake of these tragic deaths.
According to the latest statistics from WorkSafe, the agriculture sector has claimed 7 lives in 12 months. Five of those fatalities occurred on farms.
Of the 20 workplace fatalities in Victoria, 10 occurred in metropolitan Melbourne and 10 were in country Victoria.
These figures show that workplace accidents do not discriminate, and it can have a devastating impact on all types of workers and their families.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Finance, Robin Scott
“One workplace death is too many. In the last 12 months in Victoria, 20 families have had to face the grief of losing a loved one in a workplace accident.”
“While workers in Victoria are safer than they have ever been, too many are still being killed or seriously injured at work.”
“By working together, our workplaces can be free of fatality. WorkSafe is critical to making that a reality, and we will give them the support they need to achieve it.”
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“Workers, and their families, deserve to go to work and know that they will come home safe at the end of the day.”
“Workplace fatalities shouldn’t happen, and we will not stop working until they are no longer a reality.”
Quotes attributable to the Victorian Trades Hall Council Secretary, Luke Hilakari
“Whether you’re a young worker, older worker, a man or a woman, in the country or in the city, the horrors of unsafe workplaces can affect us all.”
“We have achieved a lot in making Victorian workplaces safer. The fact that we’re gathered here today to commemorate the loss of many workers’ lives shows there is still a long way to go.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020