Bio for Vicki Hamilton OAM

Vicki is the current CEO/Secretary of Asbestos Council of Victoria/GARDS and has been a member of ACV/GARDS since the organisation was incorporated in 2001.

Vicki has had two of her family members pass away from asbestos related disease – her father with asbestos related lung cancer and her grandfather with asbestosis.

Vicki has conducted support groups for asbestos sufferers and their families once a month since 2002 and since 2019 we have incorporated another special group including silica sufferers & their families into our organisation and have added an extra support group in Chadstone – Melbourne for asbestos and silica sufferers and their families. Both groups, one in Gippsland & the other in metro Melbourne take asbestos and silica sufferers along with family members. Vicki visits sufferers and their families at home and hospital and takes medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, conserving devices and wheel chairs etc to sufferers as needed. She also advocates on all issues concerning asbestos and now silica to improve the outcomes for sufferers and the community by lobbying all levels of Government – State and Federal – conducting media interviews radio and TV to alert the public to current asbestos and silica issues at hand.

As part of the Asbestos Council of Victoria/GARDS she conducts asbestos and silica education and awareness sessions, Vicki regularly conducts speaking engagements to medical students, nursing students, allied health students, TAFE students in trades such as painting and decorating, plumbing, carpentry, boiler makers, motor mechanics, electricians etc. as well as community groups and work places through out Victoria.

Vicki was a member of the Latrobe Valley Asbestos Taskforce until the Taskforce was disbanded in March 2023
Vicki is currently a member of the Hazelwood Environmental Review Committee
Member of the Victorian Lung Cancer Registry Mesothelioma Steering Committee
Member of The Greater Choice for at Home Palliative care Project Steering Committee
Vicki is a community member on the Hazelwood Health Study Community Advisory Committee
Vicki has just recently (Aug 2023) become a full council member representing the Asbestos Support Group Network – Australia on the Asbestos & Silica Safety & Eradication Agency (Federal Gov) for a term of 3 years
Vicki is the current Chair of the Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Service Consumer Reference Group
Vicki is a former Community Advisory Committee member of Latrobe Regional Hospital since the groups inception in 2005 to 2020
In 2005 Vicki was awarded Citizen of the Year for Latrobe City
In 2014 Vicki was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the Australia Day Awards for her service to the community through support for people with asbestos related disease.