Griffith citrus grower Vito Mancini was one of dozens involved in discussions at the Griffith Southside Leagues Club last week which heard from those who have been affected by accidents and deaths in the sector.

Mr Mancini hopes the accounts shared will pave the way for change going forward.

"I've never actually seen anything quite like it; it was good to have so much interest around this issue," Mr Mancini said.

"But I think a lot of the answers to come out will take time to implement; we certainly won't see major change overnight."

At the event, he described a problematic conflation of bureaucracy and the actual practise of minimising safety risks in the sector.

"Ultimately the job is to avoid accidents but paper work doesn't go all the way to address that," he said.

"There needs to be investigation into the causes and the incidents themselves rather than building bureaucracy."

He believes one of the ways to do that is to broaden reportage around incidents.

"In our industry incidents seem to come in waves; five or six years ago there were some serious ones in citrus," he said.

"But I think the minor incidents don't reach us; we hear about the horrific ones but there needs to be improved communication into the others you don't hear about."

Member for Murray Helen Dalton said the meeting indicated a keen interest around improving safety in farming.

"There is definitely more work to be done and I think it's really important we have better support systems in place to reduce accidents," she said.

"Part of the discussion was over whether a tougher approach is needed to ensure compliance and improved education.

"Mental health issues were high on the agenda and it was made clear better help in this area is needed for victims, their families and their employers," Mrs Dalton said.

"The Ministers and Safework assured attendees some of the agenda items will be enacted immediately while others will take longer as further investigation is needed.

"We'll have to wait and see what happens but I think we're heading in the right direction," she said.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please contact 000. Mental health support is also available at the following numbers: