Key Points
- The Australian Workers' Union has confirmed a man has died following a mine collapse at Ballarat in Victoria.
- The mine's website says it has an extensive network of tunnels and operates deep beneath buildings, streets and homes.
- In 2007, 27 miners were trapped underground at the mine for several hours before being winched to safety.
A miner rescued after surviving a rockfall in an underground collapse that killed his colleague is continuing to fight for life.
The 21-year-old Ballarat man was rushed to the Alfred Hospital in a critical condition hours after becoming pinned underneath fallen rocks at the Ballarat Gold Mine at Mount Clear on Wednesday.
The hospital said on Friday morning his condition remained critical.
Australian Workers' Union Victoria state secretary Ronnie Hayden said the workers were performing a manual form of mining called air legging, which he claimed was not safe.
He called on WorkSafe to use Victoria's workplace manslaughter laws and bring charges against any individuals responsible.
Bruthen man Kurt Hourigan, 37, died in the incident.
Heartbroken friends and family took to social media to pay tribute to him and express grief.
Worksafe officials arrive to speak to the media during a press conference near the site of the mine collapse in Ballarat on 14 March 2024. Source: AAP / Con Chronis
"Our brother, our best mate, our son Kurt Hourigan... we are so broken without you," Stephanie Coleiro said.
His local football and netball club extended deep sympathy to the family of their past player.
A press conference at the plant at Lihir Gold Limited on 19 November 2007 in Ballarat. A shaft at the Mount Clear mine collapsed internally around 3.30am on that day, trapping 27 men underground for several hours. All were safely rescued. Source: Getty / Mark Dadswell
The collapse happened 500m underground and 3km from the mine's entrance, forcing 29 other miners to take refuge in a safety pod before being brought to the surface.
Victoria Police is preparing a report for the coroner while the workplace health and safety regulator is investigating the collapse.
Victory Minerals took operational control of the Ballarat Gold Mine in December. Source: AAP / Joe Castro
She said access to the mine would be prohibited as the organisation examines what happened in the lead-up to the collapse, safety systems and any possible regulation breaches.
"We'll certainly try to understand if there's anything that could have been prevented or avoided or if there's any recklessness or negligence," Beer told reporters on Thursday.
169 Victorians had died at work since workplace safety laws took effect in 2020, Hayden said.
"We've had one prosecution and no jail time," he said.
"This is not acceptable.
"There's no point creating laws to protect workers if we don't use those laws."
Hayden earlier claimed the mine's senior safety manager had been made redundant, but mine owner Victory Minerals said the redundancy involved a corporate staffer.
"No safety professionals working underground in the mine were made redundant in the recent restructure," a spokesperson said.
"In fact, we increased safety professional resources within the underground."
The company took over the Ballarat gold mine in December 2023.
WorkSafe said there have been 10 confirmed workplace fatalities in 2024.
