"I was an emotional wreck."
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That's how Kay Catanzariti felt when she received her son's death certificate in the mail two weeks ago at 3.25pm on March 19.
Ben Catanzariti was only 21-years-old when he was killed by a falling concrete boom at a Canberra worksite in 2012, and Mrs Catanzariti says she hasn't been the same person since.
She says she's become embittered and slow to trust in people, but at the same time she says she's become more determined to stand up for what she believes in.
These days she's standing up for better workplace regulation and more accountability so workers can stay safe and other parents don't have to go through what she has suffered.
To that end she will be going to Canberra on April 3 to meet with Kelly O'Dwyer, the Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations.
Mrs Catanzariti is hoping Ms O'Dwyer will help her bring in a raft of policy changes, such as better mental health care in the workplace, a national oversight body, and tougher laws for industrial manslaughter.
There are other recommended changes listed in the They Never Came Home senate report which was put before before a inquiry into workplace deaths.
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Mrs Catanzariti is pushing to make sure as many of the changes get through as possible, and she's hoping Ms O'Dwyer can help make that happen.
But she said she remains skeptical whether any politician will bring in the radical changes that she believes are necessary.
With the federal election coming up, she believes now is the time to strike while the iron is hot and push for change.
She's been pushing for change over the past six years, and she said she's determined to continue doing so well into the future.
She said she's not just doing it for herself; she's doing it for other families who are also suffering, as well as the families who could fall prey to workplace fatalities in the future.
While she may never be able to bring Ben back, she can at least continue fighting to keep workers safe and families whole.
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
