After the detection of 40 asbestos-containing cargo consignments in the past months, unions have threatened boycotts and industrial action.
Dave Noonan, national secretary of Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) said that if importers will not abide by the asbestos ban, “we’ll have no choice but to consider banning certain building products from certain countries on health and safety grounds until the minister is willing to take decisive action.”
He continues, “If the government put as much effort into stopping asbestos at our borders as they do into stopping refugees, Australian workers would not be put at risk from this deadly substance.”
Just recently, the Australian Border Force admitted thrice as high asbestos-positive cargo consignments in the recent 10 months compared to last financial year. ABF officials said that the increase in asbestos-positive cargo is due to intense effort of the authorities in detecting the hazardous material.
Another issue brought out is the failure of the border force to prosecute the Chinese company, Yuan which is the culprit in the asbestos scandal last year. The company admitted importing shipments that are contaminated with asbestos.
The ABF said the probe is still ongoing.
In a recent article published in our blog, facts about asbestos imports in Australia have been revealed, which is connected to the continuous asbestos scare in the country.
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