Our Impact

Importantly, MADDA provides a specialist, nurse-led support service for individuals and families affected by mesothelioma and other dust diseases. This model delivers not only practical care coordination and system navigation, but also vital psychosocial support. Individuals facing a mesothelioma diagnosis, and their family, often experience significant psychological distress, anxiety, and uncertainty alongside their physical illness. MADDA’s ongoing engagement with patients helps address these mental and emotional impacts, supporting wellbeing, dignity, and quality of life throughout the course of the disease.

Workers diagnosed with this disease face complex medical, emotional, and practical challenges, often with limited coordinated support available. MADDA’s nurse-led support service fills this critical gap.

By providing care navigation, advocacy, and psychosocial support, MADDA supports patients to better manage symptoms, access appropriate services, and navigate care pathways.

From an industry perspective, this service is invaluable. It ensures that workers who have contributed to building our state are supported with dignity and care when facing life-limiting illness.

Our members are regularly engaged in construction, renovation, and maintenance activities where asbestos and hazardous dust exposure remains an ongoing risk, particularly in older housing stock. 

In addition to supporting those affected, MADDA plays a key role in raising awareness of asbestos risks across the community and industry. Their work with training providers and industry stakeholders contributes to improved understanding of safe practices and helps support ongoing efforts to reduce exposure.

From a residential construction perspective, this work is critical. The majority of asbestos-containing materials are found in older homes, and ongoing education and awareness are essential to protecting both workers and homeowners.

Our members work daily in environments where exposure to asbestos and hazardous dusts remains a real and ongoing risk, particularly in renovation, maintenance, and demolition work. 

MADDA plays an important role in both supporting those affected and preventing future disease. 

In addition, MADDA is leading important work in prevention. Through training, awareness campaigns, and advocacy across industry and government, they are helping to drive cultural change around asbestos and dust exposure. Prevention is the only way we will stop future generations from suffering the same outcomes.

From a civil construction perspective, this work is vital. Our industry is at the forefront of interacting with legacy materials in the built environment, and continued education and advocacy are key to reducing exposure risks. At the same time, ensuring that affected workers and their families receive appropriate support is a shared responsibility across industry and government.

As a former personal injury lawyer and, and later as a Judge of the District Court, I was aware that persons suffering from major illnesses required considerable assistance in coordinating and meeting their medical needs. I decided to contact MADDA for support and guidance of my brother [Frank, diagnosed with an aggressive form of mesothelioma in late 2025].

MADDA’s nurse-led support service provided invaluable assistance to my brother, his wife, and myself during the difficult time of Frank’s illness. Their compassion, guidance, and advocacy removed much of tour anxiety as we navigated the various arms of medical services. 

MADDA continues to be available to provide support to Frank’s wife following his death. 

As an organisation working at the frontline of the building and construction industry, we see firsthand the ongoing risks associated with asbestos and hazardous dust exposure. Despite increased awareness, asbestos remains prevalent across Western Australia’s built environment, and the legacy of past exposure continues to have devastating consequences for workers, their families, and the broader community. MADDA plays a critical and unique role in addressing both the prevention and impact of dust diseases, including asbestos-related disease.

MADDA provides a critical, worker-focused service that supports individuals and families facing a mesothelioma diagnosis. Their nurse-led support program offers care navigation, advocacy, and psychosocial support—helping people understand their options, access appropriate services, and navigate a complex health system. In Western Australia, where there are currently no dedicated mesothelioma support nurses within the public system, this service fills a significant gap.