Funding offered to commemorate Tas workplace deaths

A permanent memorial to Tasmanians killed at work would be established by a Labor government in the state.

Funding of $250,000 would be provided for the completion of the Tasmanian Workers Commemorative Park at Inveresk.

Deputy Labor Leader Michelle O’Byrne said Tasmania has the second-highest rate of workplace deaths in the nation.

“Every worker has a right to go to work and return home safely. When complete, the Tasmanian Workers Commemorative Park will become not only a place to reflect and remember but also a space to look to the future and continue the passion of those that have died in the course of building and servicing our community,” she said.

“There is a lot of history in the site chosen for this park. It sits alongside the Workers’ Gate to York Park (University of Tasmania Stadium) and the Invermay Bowls Club, for many years colloquially known as the Workers’ Bowls Club. It is also near the site of the old Launceston Railyards, a place of work for many thousands of Tasmanians.

“When complete, this project will also form an important part of Labor’s plans for a revitalised Launceston Tamar River precinct.”

The park will incorporate materials from a range of working environments, such as glass for hospitality, timber for forestry, metals for mining, bluestone for quarrying and uplighting for electrical trades.

It will also provide for family usage with the installation of BBQ facilities and a shelter.

“Every year on the 28th of April — International Workers’ Memorial Day — Tasmanians gather at this park to pay respect to those who have gone to work and did not return home to their families,” said O’Byrne.

“The completion of this park will allow a permanent commemorative memorial to these workers.”

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Kamil Krawczyk