It's less than six months since Lana Cormie's husband Charlie Howkins was killed at work, after a trench he was working in at Ballarat collapsed on him and his colleague Jack Brownlee, who died from his injuries the following day.
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On Wednesday she will stand alongside 17 others whose loved ones have died at work, including Shauna Branford whose brother died in a gas explosion in 1997, representing more than 20 years of workplace deaths.
Together they are waiting for the Senate committee report following the inquiry into the prevention, investigation and prosecution of industrial deaths in Australia and will call on the government to accept its recommendations.
"It's pretty much the worst thing you can imagine happening in your life – to lose someone like that when you have two small children, a young family," Dr Cormie said.
"It's the biggest unspoken tragedy. People aren't aware of the numbers of people being killed and the majority of times they are preventable deaths."
Alongside Dr Cormie on Wednesday will be Tanya Louth, whose partner Daniel Bradshaw died at the age of 37 while working on a barge in Darwin. Ms Louth says she couldn't have made her submission to the inquiry, or continued to speak publicly without the support of the others in the group.
"As a group together we have a more powerful voice, I couldn't do it alone," Ms Louth said.
The families have been brought together by Kay Catanzariti, whose son Ben Catanzariti died when a concrete-pouring boom came crashing down on a Kingston foreshore construction site in 2012.
Throughout the day they will meet with politicians from all parties, telling their stories and asking for action at a federal level both to increase protections in workplaces, and to better legal and support processes for families who lose a loved one at work.
"None of our families have anything to gain by going [to Canberra] on a personal level. Only that we don't want this to happen to other people," Dr Cormie said.
For Ms Louth, it's important that the politicians listen to their stories.
"I’m hoping that we’ll have some understanding, I’m not going there demanding answers or changes I’m just really hoping for some understanding, so we’re heard," Ms Louth said.
While the group includes members from all over Australia who are yet to meet each other, Mrs Catanzariti said they already feel like family.
"Unless you have actually lost a child or husband, partner, father or brother to an industrial fatality you don't understand," Mrs Catanzariti said.
While they have high hopes for the report to be tabled, Mrs Catanzariti is anxious that its recommendations won't be acted on.
"It's like leading up to the anniversary of our loved one's death, or Christmas, special occasions – we all get anxious. Tomorrow is like that."
Former deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and opposition leader Bill Shorten are among the MPs set to meet with the families on Wednesday, but Mrs Catanzariti said they must take action after the meetings.
"They can be really nice to us and do all this but when it comes down to that vote they need to follow through. We've had too many broken promises to all of us. It’s time to stand up."