Jum Wallner

And we figured that after 40 years, everyone would have been dead of some other cause.

So for the next 40 years, and that each victim, if you equated it with what a workplace asbestos victim gets, would get roughly between $1 or $2 million.

So the whole total would be $80 million or maybe a bit less.

Yeah, it is.

Someone described it to me as an accounting error, which didn't make me feel great about how my taxes are spent, but nonetheless.

But we always referred to it in the same way.

We said what we're talking about is a per-yearly payment

of less than the interest bill that the ACT pays on that $1 billion the federal government loaned it to buy back the houses.

We thought that was the way of saying the number to make it sound small.

Less than the interest on the loan the ACT took to buy back all the Mr Fluffy houses.

So it wasn't much, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it would get up.

I mean, if you think about it, everything that's pitched to the health minister is a good idea.

A few more beds for a children's hospital.

All that.

One of the most important things I think in persuading anyone is stop thinking about yourself and think about it from their point of view.

So we kept thinking...

how can you make the minister a hero?

I agree with you that ministers are often really well-intentioned, but instead of thinking about what's in it for us, what's in it for them?

And one of the arguments we had was, look, if Jim dies and you don't do this, next year you'll be another victim.

And another victim after that and another victim.