Transcript of Comcare Chief Executive Officer Colin Radford's comments on 28 May 2026 in Melbourne
TRANSCRIPT: Comcare CEO Colin Radford, 28 May 2026 – Melbourne
SUBJECT: Court penalty for Cleanaway – Adelaide fatalities
- Judgment: CLEANAWAY OPERATIONS PTY LT - CAA
- Comcare media release: Record WHS penalty over fatal truck crash
COLIN RADFORD: This record, $1.1 million fine, should send a clear message to any company that thinks it can cut corners on workplace health and safety. You will be prosecuted, and you will be held to account. No profit, no productivity gain is worth the cost of a human life.
Cleanaway’s manifest failures in this matter had devastating consequences. Two innocent motorists were killed, another motorist seriously injured, and a young truck driver in his first week on the job, suffered catastrophic injuries. If you cut corners on safety, we'll come after you, we'll prosecute you, and you will be held to account.
REPORTER: So Colin, I know you say that it is a record fine, but the maximum penalty that could have been imposed was $3 million. It really falls short of that, doesn't it?
COLIN RADFORD: I think the reality is that no fine will bring back those who lost their lives. No fine will compensate the loved ones of those who were killed or seriously injured. But this is a record fine under Federal workplace health and safety laws. And this $1.1 million fine should send a clear message to anyone who thinks they can cut corners in the way that Cleanaway did in this case.
REPORTER: How do we prevent Cleanaway from doing this again, they could easily pay a fine. For them it may well just not even touch the sides. How do we stop them from these sorts of really bad work practices?
COLIN RADFORD: Cleanaway is a self-insured licensee in the Comcare scheme, and we are paying a lot of attention to Cleanaway. We have had multiple inspections, multiple improvement notices served on Cleanaway. Unfortunately, there have been five workplace fatalities at Cleanaway in the last two years. This needs to be the signal that they need to lift their game. They need to get serious about health and safety.
REPORTER: Colin, is it a relief now after so long – 12 years ago this event happened – is it nice to have justice finally meted out, or has it just been too long?
COLIN RADFORD: This case has taken 12 years since the incident. Cleanaway has fought this case every step of the way. And I want to acknowledge and pay tribute to the families of those lost, to the worker who was injured. They have had to endure this matter for 12 years. Now, no fine will bring back the loved ones lost, but I hope that today's record fine does bring some closure to the families of those lost and to the two people who were injured, in what was an entirely preventable incident.
REPORTER: Is there a chance that Cleanaway could appeal this, and if so, who to?
COLIN RADFORD: That's a matter for Cleanaway. I can't speak for what Cleanaway might do next, or what their legal strategy might be. But I would hope that out of respect for the families, out of respect for the court, and this decision, that Cleanaway will accept this penalty, and change their procedures, their training, to ensure that something like this never happens again. That no family has to go through the pain that these families have gone through. Every workplace incident, every workplace death is entirely preventable.
REPORTER: At Comcare you’d have seen incidences like this and you mentioned how Cleanaway has past history of things like this as well. How does this offending compare to things you’ve seen in the past?
COLIN RADFORD: Unfortunately, we have seen far too many deaths and serious injuries where companies have failed to adequately protect or train their workers. This shocking set of circumstances could have been avoidable. This is one of the most horrific incidents that I've seen in all my time in workplace health and safety. And as I said, it was entirely preventable. Every workplace death, every workplace injury, can and should be prevented. And this must send a message that companies must do more, they must put the health and safety of their workers and the public, above all else, above any profit, above any productivity, it must be priority number one.
ENDS