The Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) has called for a ban of James Hardie products across all Victorian Councils until the company provides for victims of asbestos related diseases. It was one of the first government bodies to do so.
VLGA Chief Executive, Andrew Rowe, said Local Governments in NSW and Victoria have taken leadership on behalf of their communities in choosing to not use James Hardie products.
“Local Governments speak for communities and have considerable purchasing power in the building industry; the ban is needed to demonstrate the real community anger at the way the company was handling claims for asbestos victims,” Andrew Rowe said.
Early in September, the VLGA wrote to all Victorian Councils this week urging them to support this ban. A NSW Government commission found that James Hardie’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter MacDonald, knowingly provided false and misleading information when the company established the Medical Research and Compensation Foundation in 2001. That was the same year it shifted its corporate headquarters to The Netherlands. The findings against him and others will be referred to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, with a possibility of criminal charges being laid.
Commissioner David Jackson determined that they knew that the $293 million worth of assets set aside for victims of asbestos related diseases would not be enough to provide for future victims.
James Hardie was Australia’s largest manufacturer of asbestos containing products. The company manufactured products containing asbestos such as insulation products, fibro, pipes and friction materials, and particularly brake and clutch linings.
Andrew Rowe said that Local Governments, representing their local communities, could add their voice to the chorus of protest across Australia about the company’s actions.
“Local Governments need to send a clear message that the actions of James Hardie are unacceptable,” he said. “We call on the company to repatriate the funds to Australia to ensure proper financial backing for the fund for asbestos victims.”
