Ballarat’s asbestos disaster: how the Bendix Mintex plant poisoned its workers

For decades, Ballarat workers were being exposed to deadly asbestos fibres in the Bendix brake factory, and new cases of fatal, asbestos-related cancer are still being uncovered in the community.

The horrors of asbestos-caused diseases are well known. Even a small, momentary exposure can cause fatal cancer. But although asbestos may be best known as a building supply, it was also widely used in motor vehicle production.

Asbestos was commonly used to produce brake pads and linings, gaskets, insulation, and other car components. If your car was manufactured before 1990s, there’s a chance it may contain asbestos materials.

And it’s possible that those asbestos-laden parts can be traced back to the Ballarat-based manufacturer, Bendix Mintex.

Bendix Mintex: A powerhouse of asbestos production

In the 1980s, Bendix Mintex was the largest friction material manufacturer in Australia. They exported to more than 40 countries. Their products were made by mixing raw asbestos with additional materials such as cement and glue. It’s believed asbestos brakes were made up of between 30 and 60 per cent asbestos.

Even though management was aware asbestos was dangerous to its employees, it prioritised sales over health. In 1990, Bendix Mintex “committed” to phasing out all asbestos from its manufacturing. However, it is well documented that they continued using asbestos in their brakes until 2003—the year the Australian government banned asbestos nationwide.

This meant an untold number of Bendix Mintex workers were exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos dust and fibres, often with inadequate or no protection. Additionally, the workers’ partners and families may have been exposed to asbestos, as well as others who came into contact with Bendix Mintex products.

Why we keep seeing new asbestos-caused cancers

When disturbed, asbestos creates large amounts of microscopic fibrous dust, and when inhaled, these fibres can become trapped in the lungs’ tissue. Over time this may cause scarring, inflammation and lung disease.

Individuals with exposure to asbestos are at significantly greater risk of serious lung disease, such as:

• mesothelioma
• lung cancer
• laryngeal cancer
• asbestosis
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• effusions
• pleural plaques and pleural thickening (thickening of the lung wall).

But these cancers and other conditions don’t always develop quickly. Asbestos-related diseases can take anywhere from 15 to 50 years to develop from the date of exposure.

That means that Ballarat and the surrounding areas continue to see new cases of asbestos-related diseases caused by exposure at the Bendix Mintex plant in Ballarat.

Since 2002, Bendix Mintex has operated under a new name – FMP Group (Australia) Pty Ltd, which stands for ‘Friction Materials Pacific’. This rebranding was part of an effort to distance itself from its former parent company, BBA Group. 

Despite efforts to deny and escape its asbestos-related history, the company has faced numerous successful claims for exposing people to asbestos fibres. 

Ivan’s story: Loyal worker misled by Bendix Mintex

Affectionally known as “Lofty” due to his height, Ivan Tabbitt was a loyal employee for 36 years. Originally born in England, Lofty migrated to Australia in 1967 to work with Bendix Mintex. Over the years, Lofty worked in many roles on the asbestos brakes production line.  He worked 12-hour shifts in a factory where the dust was so thick in the air, it created a haze-like environment. His only protection was a thin disposable mask.

“[Bendix Mintex] were pulling the wool over people's eyes by telling them it was all okay when it really wasn't,” says Paul Tabbitt, one of Lofty’s sons. “They lied to their workers.”

In August 2024, 20 years after retiring, Lofty was diagnosed with primary lung cancer, sadly as a result of his workplace exposure to asbestos. We represented Lofty in his claim against Bendix Mintex, and he received the maximum statutory lump sum compensation available.

Despite this success, Lofty’s condition quickly deteriorated, and he sadly passed away on 10 December 2024. While the compensation provided financial relief to his surviving family, it could never replace the loss of their missing loved one.

“The law was there for us, and we’re really grateful for the settlement,” says Paul. “We’ve been able to buy Mum another house – but it’ll never be Mum and Dad’s house.”