The fight to force Australian asbestos manufacturers to compensate thousands of sick and dying New Zealanders who inhaled the killer fibres has suffered a serious knock-back. This month, the Court of Appeal in Australia overturned a landmark $320,000 payout to former Kiwi Bernard Frost, 61, from company Amaca, a subsidiary of Australian building products giant James Hardie. Frost was exposed to the killer fibres while installing insulation products in Cambridge in 1963-66 but was diagnosed with asbestos-related lung diseases in 2000, four years after he moved to Queensland. Frost's Australian lawyer Graeme Little said he will seek special leave to appeal the decision in the High Court in Australia because it was a case of great public importance.