Paperlinx should take responsibility for its asbestos legacy

Unions Tasmania

Tasmanian Branch of the ACTU

Media Release Friday, 16 April 2010

Paperlinx should take responsibility for its asbestos legacy

Secretary of Unions Tasmania, Simon Cocker called on the management of Paperlinx to take responsibility for all asbestos on its Burnie mill site and not leave an asbestos legacy for the North West.

It has been reported that Paperlinx does not intend to remove old buildings containing large amounts of ageing asbestos as part of its site remediation work after closing the Burnie mill. This has the potential for the company to leave a terrible legacy for the North West in terms of future disease and suffering as well as massive clean up costs.

“These reports should ring alarm bells across government and the community,” said Mr Cocker. “It is just not acceptable for a global company like Paperlinx to abandon deteriorating asbestos buildings and expect Tasmanians to clean up after them.”

Asbestos is a class one carcinogen with no known safe level of exposure and asbestos related diseases cause terrible suffering. Asbestos containing building materials across the country are deteriorating and releasing more fibres into the environment.

Paperlinx describes itself as a global company with values of respect for the local, the courage to lean forward, trust and respect and sustainability. Paperlinx also states on its website:

There is a line that divides what is right and wrong. Understand it and don’t cross it in relation to competitive behaviour, employee safety or environmental issues in particular.

And at another point:

. .we seek to go beyond compliance with a range of positive initiatives. And will support the communities in which we operate un ways that make a positive difference . .

Unions Tasmania Secretary, Simon Cocker said:

“If Paperlinx really upholds the values it pays lip service to it must acknowledge that it is simply wrong for someone else to have to clean up its mess.”

“I understand Paperlinx wants to be remembered as having made a ‘positive difference’ to Tasmania so it needs to remove all asbestos from that site as part of the clean up. End of story.”

“We have other companies in Tasmania who have shown their desire to be respected as corporate citizens and take responsibility for the asbestos on their sites. If Paperlinx wants to be considered a good corporate citizen it should do the same.”

“This company needs to think about its global reputation and how it wants to be remembered by the Tasmanian community when it’s gone.” said Mr Cocker.
Simon Cocker, Unions Tasmania