Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Hansard source

This week is Asbestos Awareness Week, yet James Hardie is reducing its support for asbestos victims, which is both unjustified and immoral. The company's interim profit statement shows that its contributions to the Asbestos Injuries Compensation Fund were slashed by 44 per cent last financial year. That is despite Hardie's interim profits increasing by 22 per cent to more than $260 million. James Hardie must immediately step up to ensure that the Asbestos Injuries Compensation Fund is properly funded. Having the compensation fund run dry while Hardie's profits soar is a slap in the face to its victims. Australia has some of the highest rates of asbestos cancer—mesothelioma—in the world.

Question agreed to.