Abbott looks to recover from tough campaign day

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott will be trying to bring the election campaign back to policy as he tries to live down a day of slurs and apologies.

The federal takeover of Tasmania's Mersey Hospital should have been finalised today, but it has been delayed and Labor health spokeswoman Julia Gillard says it is a shambles.

"They had absolutely no plan about how they would deal with the employment arrangements," she said.

The delay contributed to a difficult day for Mr Abbott yesterday, who was still facing questions on the ABC's Lateline about insulting asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton.

"It was a mistake... it was an error of judgment on my part," Mr Abbott said.

Yesterday Mr Abbott also had to apologise for arriving half an hour late for a debate with his Labor counterpart Nicola Roxon.

"It was just one of those things of trying to pack too much into the day," he said.

He was then caught on camera swearing at her.

He told Lateline host Tony Jones: "I'm sure you've used that term to people who have deserved it, it doesn't mean you hate them, it just means that something which you thought was nonsense was happening."

But on the program, Ms Gillard said Mr Abbot had lost touch with civility and reality.

Mr Abbott says there is no case for him to resign.

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Gus: the Minister for boils, broken legs and making misery with miserable comments, should resign. He has no sense of reality. Imagine what the fellow would say in cabinet, behind closed doors...!!

Get rid of Abbott and Costello, and Howard... 

A middle aged papist named Abbott Does not have the gait of a rabbit P'raps a word with the chauffer Of yesterday's loafer

Would convert the smug sluggard's habit?   

Helen Razer

If you don't like your job, quit: Abbott

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott says workers who are unhappy with their employment should just look for a new job.

Mr Abbott was captured on amateur video speaking at a local electorate function earlier in the week, and admitted that workers' rights have diminished since WorkChoices was introduced.

The footage was screened on ABC TV's Lateline last night.

Mr Abbott said the best option for aggrieved workers was to find alternative employment.

"That is the best protection. Not going off to some judge, or industrial commission, that might order your employer, who you don't like, and he doesn't like you, to keep you in an unhappy partnership forever," he said on the video.

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Gus; Yes... I'm sure Tony likes his shovelling job for the sickbag, but he is likely to get a new one anyway... Like polishing opposition benches with his backside... unless he leaves politics and tries to get himself "another job"... Tony, it's easier said than done for many people. Not all people have the opportunity, the "mates" nor the clout that you have. People may not be able to get a "new job" for a number of reasons, from location, housing commitments and family.

And as many persons have told me, even in professional positions, as soon as they leave a job, the next one to come along often present them with a hefty drop in salary and package... Some people might wait for a better opportunity but often, like the heron of the fable, small fishes will have to do... They end up with a downgrade... What you've said, in terms of flexibility of employment works only to a very small point. Beyond that, many people are scared and fearful of loosing their job, as "shitty" as it is.

Labor denies doctoring Abbott video

The Labor Party has rejected claims it edited a video of Health Minister Tony Abbott talking about WorkChoices.

In the video, Mr Abbott says WorkChoices has removed protection for workers.

But he says the video has been edited in a misleading way to distort his comments and he blames Labor.

But Labor deputy leader Julia Gillard says it is Mr Abbot who is twisting the truth.

"What appears on that tape is what Mr Abbott said. There has been nothing done to that tape, it appears as Mr Abbott said it, with the words coming out of his mouth that he said and he meant," he said.

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Gus: Is it possible that the video has been doctored BEFORE it landed in the laps of the Labor Party? Then it would be possible that the "original tape" (if any) might be even more damaging to Mr Abbott... who knows...

Tony Abbott, "who should be elected due to his people skills", despite his right shoe permanently placed in his mouth, thinks he is the underdog in the backstabbing competition for the top job at the Liberal Party. Meanwhile Bernie Banton, who died yesterday, is rightfully elevated to hero status, despite having been belittled by Abbott who, with his people skills lifted to the importance of a gnat on a cowpat, had to apologised for being Tony Abbott...

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A ceremony will be held in Sydney today to officially name an asbestos disease research centre after campaigner Bernie Banton, who died yesterday.

The $12 million Bernie Banton Centre is being built at Sydney's Concord Hospital and will open late next year. It will be the world's first dedicated asbestos research facility.

Mr Banton was being treated at the hospital until he returned home at the weekend to spend his final days with his family.

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma will be joined at the naming ceremony by the former premier Bob Carr, who is now the chairman of the Asbestos Disease Research Foundation.

Mr Carr says it is fitting the centre will be named after Bernie Banton.

"It's the right emotional choice but also a logical one as well," he said. "His campaigning with every last breath in his body literally was really heroic."

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Gus: see toon at top... 

Abbott cashes in on Hollowmen

Jonathan Dart
July 10, 2008 - 1:44PM

Tony Abbott today pointed to the premiere of the ABC's The Hollowmen as an indication of how the Rudd Government has performed in its first year in office.

Mr Abbott was sentimental about the Howard legacy and quoted Margaret Thatcher as he spoke of his plans for a new book, to be released next year under the working title Conservatism After Howard, outlining his ideas for what he calls "evolutionary conservatism".

He said the book would not examine the entrails of the Liberal party in the wake of its electoral defeat last November.

Rather, it would concentrate on issues such as climate change and a referendum to give the Federal Government more power over the states, as outlined in today's Herald.

He said it is important for the party to have a conversation about what it stands for and present an alternative to what he described as the Rudd Government's "lack of substance".

"I just thought The Hollowmen ... no one would have got it 12 months ago because the Howard Government didn't work like that," he said. "No Howard Government ministerial office was recognisable in the caricature we saw last night".

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Gus: I nearly fell off my perch!!! ""No Howard Government ministerial office was recognisable in the caricature we saw last night". Sure Tony, there was only one big Hollowman in the Howard Government — HollowHowardman himself — and all the others were hanging on to his skirts too frightened to say boo. And to mention the Rudd Government's "lack of substance"? Brother! In less than six months, Rudd has done more on anything that Howard did in 11 years apart from hitting us on the head with some useless wars, the pestilence of the GST and the rape of working conditions... The collapse of the share market has been the result of Howard, Blair and especially their mate Bush's carelessness across board. Now we're paying for it.

Go back into your little hole... "Evolutionary conservatism"? A vision of a cemetery from which wandering zombies rise from the graves to take over the night, would be less of a nightmare...

see toon at top 

The Jeffrey asbestos mine in Quebec is an astonishing sight. "Big and beautiful," says one of the regular flow of tourists and locals who peer into its depths from a public observation deck.

Kites glide above the tiny azure pool far below.

Elsewhere in Quebec Province, Janice Tomkins, an amateur watercolourist, is painting birds for the first time. She does not know how many more she will paint because she has mesothelioma - a rare illness linked to asbestos.

Janice believes she is ill because of exposure decades ago to blue and brown asbestos - forms of the mineral now banned.

What is mined in Quebec is a different kind of asbestos - white asbestos or chrysotile - the only kind now used commercially worldwide. Countries like Russia, China, Brazil, and India - although not Canada - use it widely as a cheap and effective building material.

The president of the mine, Bernard Coulombe, told us their chrysotile is "sold exclusively to end-users having the same industrial hygiene practices as Canada," and said the federal and provincial governments have proof this is the case.

But, despite still being mined in Quebec, white asbestos is now banned or restricted in some 52 countries, on the grounds that any form of asbestos can cause devastating illnesses like Janice's.

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See toon of Abbott at top. The words in it are verbatim those he used himself... the sad sod...

Almost 24,000 budget-priced Chinese cars have been recalled over asbestos fears, but instead of being fixed immediately, they will have warning stickers attached.

In a decision that has been labelled "disgraceful" by the car repair industry, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it would monitor the recall of Chery and Great Wall vehicles with engines and exhaust gaskets containing the potentially deadly material,  but not force the manufacturers to replace all the asbestos parts straight away.

However, customers can request that the parts be replaced. If they don't, their cars will simply have a warning sticker placed in the engine bay at the next service.  

http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/asbestos-parts-in-recalled-cars-wont-be-replaced-20120815-247jv.html

After years of having heard a judge spend most of his court cases by the bedside of victims of asbestos, it is a bit weak at the knee by the ACCC to not enforce a proper fix here.... Had it been a Holden or a Ford, the ACCC would have fallen on the culprit like a tonne of bricks... Come on do the right thingy, whomever (Rod Sims, head of the ACCC) is in charge of the outfit....:

The ACCC members are collectively referred to as the Commission and meet regularly, usually weekly, to make decisions on matters investigated by the ACCC. The meetings are usually chaired by the chairperson and must include at least two of the full-time members. Matters include mergers, authorisations and notifications, whether to begin court proceedings, and decisions about access to infrastructure facilities.

The ACCC has five committees to help streamline the Commission’s decision making. These committees comprise full-time members and/or associate and ex officio commissioners who have expertise on particular matters.

• The enforcement committee meets weekly and oversees the enforcement program. Its recommendations are referred to the Commission for decision.
• The mergers committee meets weekly and considers most mergers matters. It refers major matters to the Commission and reports to it on others.
• The communications committee meets as required and oversees functions on telecommunications, including matters arising under Part XIB and XIC of the Competition and Consumer Act (formerly known as the Trade Practices Act) and authorisations. It coordinates with the enforcement committee.
• The regulated access and price monitoring committee meets as required and oversees access and price monitoring issues.
• The adjudication committee meets weekly and considers authorisations and notifications, and reports to the full commission.

Big words that need action on asbestos whether one is at risk or not...

And remember to see toon at top where Abbott is shown as an idiot as much as ever....

It seemed like exquisite insensitivity for the NSW Court of Appeal to reduce the penalties originally imposed on directors of James Hardie Industries on the day the second episode of Devil's Dust went to air on ABC TV.

This was a major and engrossing piece of documentary drama, based on the book by ABC journalist Matt Peacock with the delicate title, Killer Company.

We saw the story about how, at first, James Hardie attempted to hide the dangers posed by the mining and manufacture of asbestos then, when its liabilities were dramatically mounting, to spin-off its asbestos subsidiaries into the Medical Research and Compensation Foundation, taking the remainder of the company offshore.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/morality-question-as-dust-will-never-settle-20121115-29eqv.html#ixzz2CNAzLUJi

see also : http://www.yourdemocracy.net.au/drupal/node/20408

An advocate for asbestos victims has accused the Coalition of not caring about them and using the alleged unsafe removal of asbestos from National Broadband Network (NBN) sites to score political points.

Reports of asbestos not being disposed of properly by workers building the NBN surfaced last week with Telstra launching an audit of the work being carried out in all of their pits across the country. There have also been several crisis meetings held involving representatives from the government-owned NBN Co, Telstra, the federal government, unions and ADFA.

The Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia president, Barry Robson, said he was left “disgusted and upset” by the way the Coalition had handled the issue and told Guardian Australia parts of the media had whipped up the story.

“It’s being politicised by the Coalition when what should have been happening was the parties coming together saying ‘yes we’ve got a massive problem’ and in particularly two young families of Penrith who have been exposed to a possible, I’ll say it again, a possible death sentence hanging over their heads,” he said.

There are fears a Sydney excavation company has supplied asbestos-laden road base to the WestConnex project, as well as the Blue Mountains National Park and many private homes.

• The federal asbestos safety agency wants work on WestConnex halted for testing
• The agency's CEO has called for an immediate investigation
• Moits strenuously denies the allegations

A former employee of Moits claims the company is putting lives at risks by recycling demolition waste containing asbestos.

The federal Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency is calling for an immediate investigation. Chief executive Peter Tighe said the State Government should stop work on the multi-billion-dollar WestConnex project to conduct urgent testing.

Moits strenuously denied the allegations, saying its recycled products had been certified as asbestos-free.

Safe Work NSW told the ABC it had inspected the site twice — once today and once in early June. It found the company had "adequate work health and safety control measures in place".

Daniel McIntyre was a weighbridge operator and quality control trainee at Moits's Rock and Dirt Recycling plant at Clarendon, in western Sydney. The facility receives demolition waste from building sites across Sydney, which is crushed up to be re-used as road base.

Mr McIntyre said part of his job was to supervise a team of men, employed to "emu pick" through mounds of rubble for any rubbish that could not be put through the crusher.

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-31/fears-asbestos-contaminated-road-base-used-on-westconnex/7802098

see toon at top: remember him? he is still in parliament hanging on like a bad smell...

Definitely worth investigating.  The story Moits is putting out is nonsense.  I spoke out because of whats happening there and got fired which I couldn't afford to do.  I spoke to the EPA and workcover and not a thing happened.  I offered to give the EPA all the video and voice recording I had and work with them to fix the issue but according to Moits they have never been contacted by the EPA in relation to my complaint.  The EPA contacted me once and then not again and made no reply to my offer to give them the video or assist them.

Moits says we were never told to pick out the asbestos but that's a complete lie.  We were told to pick out as much as we could find and the rest was to go up into the crusher.  Often when I told them there was too much Asbestos to push up they would overule me because they had trucks waiting and so it was all pushed up.  

Truth will come out.

Australia has long since banned the use and import of deadly asbestos. But on our doorstep, builders and factories across Indonesia are still using asbestos in massive volumes, oblivious to the danger.

• Indonesia is the second-biggest asbestos importer in the world
• Up to 10 per cent of all buildings in Indonesia contain white asbestos
• The Government says it's up to the building industry to stop using it

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of an 'epidemic' of asbestos-related diseases in South-East Asia. 

Yet as more and more countries ban the lethal substance, a powerful industry lobby group is doubling down on efforts to promote one form of asbestos as safe and expand its market in Indonesia and South-East Asia.

The group even claims that chrysotile — commonly known as white asbestos — dissolves in the lungs after 14 days. 

About 10 per cent of Indonesian homes have roofs made from white asbestos, a proven carcinogen that can cause cancers including mesothelioma and several other diseases. 

The danger is all the more disturbing in a country with the world's fourth-biggest population, and where earthquakes and landslides regularly turn buildings to rubble.

Read more:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-07/indonesia-is-built-with-white-asb...

Read from top.