Commonwealth takes first steps towards new compensation fund for asbestos victims updated 1 James Wallner, pictured with wife Linda, was exposed to asbestos in his childhood home. ( Share Print text only Cancel Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has written to the friends and family of a Canberra mesothelioma sufferer who grew up in a "Mr Fluffy" house, saying federal bureaucrats were actively investigating a new fund for compensation. Key points: James Wallner contracted mesothelioma after living in a Mr Fluffy home as a child and being exposed to asbestos He could not claim compensation through existing schemes The federal government is now considering a compensation scheme for victims who were not exposed to asbestos through work