Sick ex-MP sues WA govt and miners FORMER West Australian Labor MP Ernie Bridge is suing the state government and companies owned by two of Australia's richest women, after being diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases. Mr Bridge has claimed he was exposed to asbestos fibres and dust when he was the minister in charge of withdrawing government services from Wittenoom, in the Pilbara region, in the late 1980s. Mr Bridge - who was the member for the Kimberley from 1980 to 2001 - lodged a writ in the WA Supreme Court last week seeking damages for contracting malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural disease and respiratory degeneration. Premier Colin Barnett said although the case could be fast-tracked given Mr Bridge's age, it would be looked at in the same way as anyone's. "I was very distressed to hear Ernie is so unwell," Mr Barnett told reporters on Wednesday. He is a terrific guy, and he might be from the opposite side of politics but Ernie has a huge following around the state. Former WA premier Peter Dowding said Mr Bridge had visited asbestos-affected areas such as Point Samson, Roebourne and Wittenoom many times while he was an MP. "Even the Point Samson school camp building had asbestos in it because it used to be used for storing the asbestos before it was shipped out," Mr Dowding told Fairfax Radio. He said when he recently visited Mr Bridge he did not look "flash" but was "surprisingly chipper." Lawyer Simon Millman, who is representing Mr Bridge, said his firm had run hundreds of cases for asbestos victims from the area. The number of people filing for compensation showed no sign of dropping off, he said.