Union queries: how did asbestos cars come into Aust?

16/08/2012 - The union representing manufacturing workers is demanding to know how cheap Chinese-made cars, with asbestos in their engines, came to be imported to Australia.

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Importer Ateco Automotive has recalled 23,000 budget Great Wall and Chery motor vehicles which were found to contain asbestos in their engine and exhaust gaskets.

They have also instructed dealers to stop the sale of the affected cars and recalled gaskets distributed as spare parts.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says it is monitoring the recall.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) says it is concerned that the cheap imports managed to slip past Australia's import standards.

The importation or use of asbestos has been banned since 2004.

AMWU National Secretary Paul Bastian called for the prosecution of anyone found to have breached the ban, saying mechanics and owners who had repaired the cars may have been put at risk.

"This should not occur in Australia — we have standards to prevent this," Bastian said in a statement.

ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said the automotive industry was experienced in managing the asbestos risk.

"The automotive service industry is experienced in managing this risk, as cars sold in Australia before 2004 often had gaskets that contained asbestos," Rickard said in a statement.

"However, consumers and automotive repairers must be made aware that the risk may be present in these much newer vehicles."

This was the focus of the recall campaign and all affected consumers were being contacted directly by Great Wall and Chery, she said.

Source: AAP

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Have your say...

sylvia | 17/08/2012 14:27 1

This is typical of Chinese government and "tycoons". They use human excrement to fertlise food for human consumption, they use toxic chemicals to watered down milk to enhance the consistency (killing babies and children that ate this poison), they their own people to manufacture items with asbestos, with no regards for the lives of those workers or the end user. Does Australia really want to sell out to the Chinese? I certainly do not want Chinese imports or food and I don't want to eat food grown by Chinese. One must ask how a Communist society has so many extremely rich individuals, if not by corruption. But our government does not question the ethics of those moving to Australia or those simply buying up Australia, our goverment is only concerned with kow-towing. Stand up and say "NO!" Julia. I don't want to hear of another discussion group, let's have some decisions from our "leader".

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