Bernie Banton, an Australian factory worker who became a nationwide symbol for labour rights, on Tuesday died after a long illness caused by exposure to ­asbestos.

Mr Banton, who was 61, fought until the very end for compensation, managing recently to give court evid­ence from his hospital bed, as well as to send a petition to the government in the run-up to last Saturday’s federal election. Only last week he won an additional ­undisclosed payout for his term­inal mesothelioma, an ­asbestos-related cancer, having already been awarded A$800,000 (US$700,000) in compensation for asbestosis seven years ago.