The author of a new book on James Hardie says there is nothing stopping another rogue company from abrogating their responsibilities to its workforce again.

ABC journalist Matt Peacock’s book Killer Company is a thoroughly researched account of the James Hardie story. It details how the company got away without paying compensation to thousands of workers who contracted mesothelioma as a result of working with the company or handling their product.

Mr Peacock believes that Australia needs stringent laws to prevent the kind of subterfuge and immoral behaviour that James Hardie engaged in.

“This company knew for years that asbestos killed. They were first sued in 1939 and the mesothelioma link was clear in the late 1950s and the early 1960s.

“This is a company that had x-rays of its workforce, details of which were not revealed to the people concerned. They never told people that they were sick.”

Killer Company makes it clear that James Hardie used the best lawyers in the country to get away with what they did.

“They paid hundreds and thousands of dollars to find the loopholes. So while their behaviour wasn’t exactly illegal, it was completely immoral.”

As a journalist, Mr. Peacock has been covering the asbestos issue for over thirty years and first received acclaim in this area for an award winning program in 1977 on the ABC’s Science Report.

He believes the work of the Builders Labourers’ Federation (BLF) and the AMWU were instrumental in raising the alarm on asbestos.

“By placing bans on asbestos and demanding safety measures, they put a lot of pressure on the company and on government.”

While Kevin Rudd proclaimed that the book should be compulsory reading for every business leader in Australia, Mr. Peacock said this needs to be followed up with laws to prevent another company from behaving in this way again.

“The inadequacy of our laws was really shown up by the Hardie’s case. Nobody’s ever been charged in the company for the thousands of people they killed.

“John Reid, the man who presided over James Hardie for 23 years during which time they knew they were causing the deaths of so many workers has never explained what he did and why.

“I agree with Bernie Banton that John Reid should be made to front up to a court and explain himself.

“They made lots of money on the suffering of an estimated 20,000 victims. Why is no one made to answer to this?”

Killer Company by Matt Peacock, is published by Harper Collins.