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Published Resources Details Journal Article

Author
Kinnear, Pamela
Title
The Politics of Coal Dust: Industrial Campaigns for the Regulation of Dust Disease in Australian Coal Mining, 1939-49
In
Labour History
Imprint
vol. 80, 2001, pp. 65-82
Description

This article analyses the industrial campaigns for the recognition, compensation and regulation of respiratory diseases due to the inhalation of coal dust. It argues that the origins of Australia's successful control of this notorious occupational hazard can be found in the industrial disputes and political responses which led to Australia's relatively early recognition of coal dust disease as a legitimate and serious occupational hazard. Using the dust issue as a powerful symbol of poor working conditions, the Miners' Federation campaign to resolve the problem coincided with the Chifley government's initial post-war strategy of industrial appeasement to take control of the chaotic industry. The task for resolving the problem was then given to Chifley's new post-war regulatory body, the NSW Joint Coal Board, effectively closing opportunities for medical views against the legitimacy of disease to gain a foothold in public policy.