James O'Loghlin on mesothelioma and friendship in 'The Accidental Activist'

From Good Reading Podcast by Good Reading Magazine

June 13, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

James O'Loghlin discusses his journey as an activist for victims of asbestos disease and the complexities of friendship during difficult times.

Usually when a friend is dying, there’s not much you can do. But what if there was? James O’Loghlin’s best friend at university was Jum Wallner, but once careers and kids came along, they drifted apart. That was, until the day Jum felt a pain in his side and remembered he had grown up in a house filled with ‘Mr Fluffy’ asbestos insulation. Nearly everyone who contracts an asbestos disease gets it from their work and is entitled to compensation or financial support. Jum discovered that if you got one from your home, tough luck. You were on your own. Before he died, Jum wanted to change that. James leapt at the chance to help him. But with zero lobbying experience, how were they going to persuade the ACT Labor Government and the Federal Liberal Government to work together to help the victims of the 1000 ‘Mr Fluffy’ houses? In the middle of Covid, how would they attract national media attention? Most importantly, as Jum’s illness worsened, could they get it done in time? This is a story about amateurs figuring out how to influence government, how friendship can drift and then be found again, and how tragedy can make it clear what really matters. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats…

People in this episode

Host: Gregory Dobbs

Guest: James O'Loghlin

Topics covered

mesothelioma
friendship
activism
asbestos
government influence
final conversations

Keywords

mesothelioma
asbestos
activism
friendship
government
Mr Fluffy
final conversations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ACT Labor Government, Federal Liberal Government

Books & works: The Accidental Activist

Places: Canberra