Mr Hagemann considers himself lucky. He is able to walk around his Spence home with the help of his wife, Ursula, and a cane. He does not want pity, he wants answers. Why the oil-based ink was considered safe for internal use when doctors were warned to be careful about spilling it as it corroded rubber; and why it was used until 1987.

He said the February findings of a round table on adhesive arachnoiditis by the standing committee on health and ageing left many questions unanswered.

The committee's first recommendation was for GlaxoSmithKline, the company that marketed the product for 42 years, to consider establishing a charitable foundation to assist the sufferers of adhesive arachnoiditis.

''I want it investigated further. I tried through the round table but they sugar-coated it,'' Mr Hagemann said.

''I wanted the government to finally sort out what's going on with the drug company. That's not asking much when there are more than 60,000 people involved.''

He said a suggestion to start a charitable foundation was not enough for a dark incident in Australian medical care that Throsby MP Jennie George called a ''conspiracy of silence''.

''We were never told it was dangerous. We were never asked if we wanted it. This is the whole point.''

In a statement a spokeswoman from GlaxoSmithKline said the company acted responsibly in relation to the supply of Myodil.

''We are currently considering the information within the report, including recommendation one, which encourages GSK to establish a charitable foundation to assist sufferers of adhesive arachnoiditis,'' she said.

But Mr Hagemann wants a real investigation.

''This has been going on for years and years and years.''