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ASBESTOS SETTLEMENT
21 November 2006
SA Unions Secretary Janet Giles says today's historic compensation settlement for asbestos victims is a victory for justice and common sense.
James Hardie and the NSW Government have signed a tax office approved funding agreement which will see the company pay in excess of $4.5 billion into a fund to compensate current and future victims.
Ms Giles says while no amount of money can make up for the pain and suffering of victims and their loved ones, it will come as a relief that financial support is finally available.
"It is unconscionable that James Hardie persisted with the production and sale of this lethal product despite knowing its dangers. It is even worse that it then fought tooth and nail to avoid compensation."
"That a settlement has been achieved is testament to the determination of victims and unions to ensure that James Hardie did not literally get away with murder."
"It is a particularly important decision for South Australia, which has the highest per capita incidence of asbestos related disease in the Western world."
"Thousands of South Australians have incurred, or are unknowingly incubating terminal diseases due to the extensive use of asbestos products across this state. It is not just the railyard workers, ship builders and other asbestos exposed workers, but also the home renovators, staff in office buildings, even students and teachers in schools, who have the potential to die through the innocent inhalation of asbestos fibres."
"And the threat has not passed. There are still many homes and offices which contain asbestos. There is the very real potential for new victims to be ensnared today with the symptoms not to emerge for 20 to 30 years from now; such is asbestos' insidious and deadly legacy," Ms Giles says.
"Personally, I think James Hardie
executives past and present should face court and be liable for
their deliberate decision to profit from human suffering.
Nevertheless this settlement represents some measure of justice from
this sorry saga," Ms Giles says.
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