Telstra has announced it’s setting up a 200-strong team to remedy asbestos problems which have occured during the rollout of the National Broadband Network.
Transcript
TONY JONES, PRESENTER: Stung by criticism of its handling of asbestos, Telstra has announced is setting up a 200-strong team to supervise all remediation work across its network.
Serious safety breaches are believed to have occurred during the rollout of the National Broadband Network with stop work orders issued at sites in three states after concerns Telstra subcontractors released asbestos fibres into residential areas.
JULIA GILLARD, PRIME MINISTER: These pits and ducts are owned by Telstra and it is their responsibility to get them ready for the NBN rollout in a safe and secure way.
BRENDON RILEY, TELSTRA: We absolutely accept responsibility for what’s happened at Penrith and the other sites I mentioned. It’s unacceptable and we’ve announced a broad set of actions to deal with it.
TONY JONES: The Opposition says the Federal Government is also to blame.
