The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union today expressed concern for workers’ safety at Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
The newly commissioned ANSTO Nuclear Medicine (ANM) facility has been rendered inoperable as a result of a plant malfunction.
The ANM facility provides vital diagnostic materials for cancer scanning for the entire domestic Australian market.
As a result of this malfunction, Australia’s domestic supply of molybdenum 99 is running short.
AMWU New South Wales State Secretary, Steve Murphy, said “our first priority is our members’ safety.
“We are working with our members and Health and Safety Representatives to ensure they can continue their vital work of supplying life saving medicines to the Australian Public.
“This engineering failure could have easily been avoided.
“The Federal Government must explain why budgetary policy around funding offsets applies to a facility such as ANSTO.
“We are calling on Karen Andrews to provide the funding ANSTO needs so workers can get on with the job safely”.
/Public Release.
