The World Today - Tuesday, 28 September , 2004 12:26:00
Reporter:
ELEANOR HALL: Returning to our lead story on the decision by James Hardie's CEO to stand aside but not resign, the NSW Premier Bob Carr has been holding a joint news conference with ACTU leader Greg Combet in Sydney.
Here's how Mr Carr responded to James Hardie's announcement.
BOB CARR: First of all, we welcome the commitment they've made to negotiate with the ACTU about their moral obligation to provide financial compensation on a future basis, to victims.
This week, in some surgeons' rooms, someone is going to be diagnosed with lung cancer as a result of exposure to a James Hardie product. We know that's the overwhelming likelihood. We want to see that there is compensation available for that person, and his or her family.
And that's what this battle is all about. As you know, the Jackson commission revealed that they didn't make adequate financial provision to enable that to occur.
The ACTU position which is one we endorse, is at the starting point, is not the James Hardie favoured statutory scheme, but a recognition that we have a current compensation scheme in NSW, that administered by the Dust Diseases Tribunal, and the trade union movement has proposals to make to improve its efficiency and that should be the basis on which negotiations take place.
I've got to say, I'm hugely disappointed by the Hardie response on another front, and that is the future of Mr Macdonald and Mr Schafron. They should go, frankly, and I appeal to the members of the board to think again about their approach to the CEO and the Chief Financial Officer, because there's no way you can read the Jackson commission report and not attribute to these people responsibility for the way James Hardie tried to shrug off its responsibility to victims.
And you can go a whole lot further as well, but there are matters that are going to end up being prosecuted criminally… but those two should go, not simply be shifted to other responsibilities.
And I think, I think there are going to be a lot of people who will see their treatment as a sign that James Hardie still hasn't learnt the lesson. If you look at the way they're treating Mr Macdonald and Mr Schafron, the message is clear – James Hardie still hasn't learnt the lesson. And that's terribly disappointing, and I hope that they will think again.
And I appeal to their board members to take responsibility for this and to acknowledge the deep community concerns.
Just to push things along in a very helpful manner, we'll introduce legislation to the state parliament in our next sitting week – it'll be ready for the 19th of October – and that will do something that will bring forward by six months to a year, the ASIC investigation into James Hardie.
ELEANOR HALL: NSW Premier Bob Carr, speaking at a news conference this morning. |
