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LAST
GASP?
ASBESTOS
VICTIMS
WANT
GOVERNMENT
ACTION
9
October 2009
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Asbestos
victims and
unions fear
a government
promise to
fix
regulations
so that
victims can
pursue
compensation
may be
nothing more
than hot
air.
SA Unions
Secretary,
Janet Giles
says for
many victims
these
regulations
are
literally
their last
gasp attempt
to seek
legal
justice for
their
injuries.
"At the time
of the SA
launch of a
book on the
James Hardie
scandal by
respected
journalist,
Matt
Peacock,
Premier Mike
Rann
promised
action
within two
weeks.
The launch
was three
weeks ago
tomorrow."
"We've been
pleading
with the
government
to fix its
faulty
regulations
for more
than two
years."
"Asbestos
was
acknowledge
as dangerous
by industry
and experts
as early as
1940.
Yet our
faulty state
regulations
set the date
of assumed
knowledge as
1971 -
essentially
allowing
industries
to claim
ignorance
and try to
dodge
responsibility
for anyone
harmed by
asbestos
prior to
that time."
"These
flawed
regulations
mean that
people
exposed to
asbestos
before that
date - and
that's many
of them -
are finding
it all but
impossible
to make
compensation
claims.
We've made a
submission
to the
government
seeking the
regulations
be amended
to apply
from 1960."
"In
particular,
there is a
raft of
former BHP
employees
whose
efforts to
seek
compensation
have been
delayed and
stymied due
to the legal
morass these
regulations
have
created.
Meanwhile
BHP has
written to
the state
government
opposing our
submission."
"Even James
Hardie
admitted its
product was
dangerous in
1940.
It's
inconceivable
that BHP
didn't know
about the
dangers of
asbestos
until 30
years
later."
"Asbestosis
and
mesothelioma
are utterly
dreadful
diseases
with no
known cure.
We ask the
state
government
to act so
that victims
- people
simply doing
their jobs
are now
paying the
price with
their lives
- can have
the prospect
of some
financial
relief in
their dying
days", Ms
Giles says.
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Community Meetings:
Regular community meetings are being held in the areas of Makin, Wakefield or Kingston. Come along, bring your friends and family to discuss issues facing workers today.
Contact SA Unions for the dates of the next meetings
saunions@saunions.org.au
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