KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - The "highest echelons" of James Hardie's management knew of the dangers of asbestos dust and told senior staff to ignore publicity, a tribunal has been told.
The building products giant is at the centre of a compensation claim by terminally ill asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton, who has only days to live.
Mr Banton, 61, is suffering peritoneal mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer.
Officially opening his case in the Dust Disease Tribunal today, Mr Banton's barrister, Jack Rush QC, said James Hardie had known of the dangers of asbestos for years and had failed to act.
"(There was) a disgraceful and contumelious disregard of Mr Banton's rights and Mr Banton the person," Mr Rush told Judge John O'Meally.
"The respiratory protections were negligible, the warnings ... in general were nil.
"All the time, we say, this company knew of the dangers of asbestos ... knew of the potential for its employees to contract mesothelioma ... and the company did nothing to warn the men about the necessity of taking precautions."
Mr Rush tendered dozens of internal memos and reports showing the extent of James Hardie's knowledge, including communications between company chairman John Reid and personnel manager ET Pysden about adverse publicity in the United Kingdom.
The documents, dated early in 1966, discussed an article in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper about the deadly link between asbestos and mesothelioma.
Mr Pysden wrote: "The article is not new, it's merely one of many reports and world studies which have been conducted since 1935".
"Ignore the publicity, dust is a fact."
Mr Rush said the memo showed "the highest echelons of this company realised the knowledge that was available at 1966, two years before Mr Banton started his work".
Various other documents outlined the urgent need to move towards full mechanisation of plant processors to "engineer the dust hazard out of existence", as well as the risk to workers' families and anyone residing within three kilometres of the factory.
Mr Rush said management also discussed not "panicking the men" about factory medical tests and warned the "bogey of asbestosis" could affect profits and create a future compensation liability.
The hearing is continuing.
- AAP
