Conroy offers to be witness in NBN contractor dispute

Speaking to a Senate hearing on the NBN in Sydney, Mr Conroy said he had offered to be a witness for the Tasmanian subcontractors in the court case as the communications minister serving when Visionstream was signed on. Photo: Louise Kennerley

David Ramli

Senior Labor Senator Stephen Conroy has volunteered to be a witness in a looming court stoush between contractors building the national broadband network - a rare move for a former government minister and serving Senator.

Six Tasmanian contractors travelled to Sydney on Friday to seek legal advice on whether they could sue NBN Co contractor Visionstream over allegations it broke contractual agreements to provide work building the national broadband network.

Work across the state came to a standstill in late 2013 after Visionstream stopped significant rollout work citing issues including asbestos mishandling, work has since gradually increased.

The subcontractors claim they missed out on millions of dollars of work after Visionstream reneged on contractual agreements despite investing in training and equipment for the rollout.

Speaking to a Senate hearing on the NBN in Sydney, Mr Conroy said he had offered to be a witness for the Tasmanian subcontractors in the court case as the communications minister serving when Visionstream was signed on.

Mr Conroy's spokesperson has confirmed his offer was genuine.

The Opposition is keen to slam the government over what it perceives as a slowdown in work across the country.

It sees the NBN slowdown in Tasmania as being a symptom of the Coalition's change in rollout technology from fibre-to-the-premise to fibre-to-the-node, which is cheaper and faster to roll out but provides slower internet speeds. READ NEXT:

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Emmerdale's Verity Rushworth says Donna story gets darker

Verity Rushworth says Donna's storyline to get darker.REX/Steve Meddl Emmerdale actress Verity Rushworth has said her character Donna's storyline will get "bigger and darker".

Donna has returned to the village as she is terminally ill and only has a few months to live.

Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) is the only person in the village that knows the truth as Donna is reluctant to share her secret.

Rushworth told Daily Star: "It changes gear and spirals into real intense drama. It gets bigger and darker than just Donna being ill. It gets much more thrilling.

"It's kind of to do with her working in the police where she is put in a situation. I can't say much more but viewers will love it."

The actress revealed that she was inspired by former Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh following her portrayal of Hayley Cropper's terminal cancer storyline.

Rushworth said: "Julie had to lose a lot of weight and I know that's one of the symptoms of Donna's rare lung cancer, mesothelioma, so I am thinking about that too. It won't be easy now I am back eating my mum's Yorkshire puddings!

"We don't know yet whether Donna will die on screen though, but Julie definitely inspired me to do this well."

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Emmerdale spoilers: Verity Rushworth on Donna Dingle's 'shocking' cancer battle

Fans of Emmerdale would have been hard-pushed not to have been moved last night when Donna Dingle finally revealed her terminal illness to Rhona Kirk.

Ever since Donna (Verity Rushworth) came back to the Yorkshire village of Emmerdale, it was pretty obvious that there was more to her return than met the eye.

With fans everywhere assuming that she was simply back to reclaim her ex-husband Marlon (Marc Charnock) using the daughter he never knew he had as bait, we were all more than shocked when the truth, that Donna is actually dying from lung cancer.

Now, having to face the fact that her illness means she has less than a year to live, Donna has to start making plans, as does Verity Rushworth, the actress who plays her, who has been explaining her research, and inspirations in a recent interview with The Daily Star.



Discussing her preparations for the storyline Rushworth, who originally left the popular ITV drama five years ago, explained how watching Julie Hesmondhalgh, who portrayed a similar storyline as Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street earlier this year, had helped her in her own work.

"Julie was incredible and had the whole nation weeping. It's important to do this properly as it's an issue that affects so many people," she said.

"We don't know yet whether Donna will die on screen though, but Julie definitely inspired me to do this well

"Julie had to lose a lot of weight and I know that's one of the symptoms of Donna's rare lung cancer, mesothelioma, so I am thinking about that too. It won't be easy now I am back eating my mum's Yorkshire puddings..."



Meanwhile the actress went on to reveal how the storyline still has a few shocking twists and turns yet to come, teasing:

"It changes gear and spirals into real intense drama. It gets bigger and darker than just Donna being ill. It gets much more thrilling. It's kind of to do with her working in the police where she is put in a situation.

"I can't say much more but viewers will love it."

Emmerdale continues tonight at 7.30pm on ITV1 / ITV1 HD - Watch a clip of Verity's moving storyline below:



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Acting US Surgeon General Issues Statement about the Hazards of Asbestos ...

Cinnaminson, NJ - WEBWIRE - Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Earlier this month, Dr. Boris Lushniak, the Acting U.S. Surgeon General, issued a statement about National Asbestos Awareness Week and the public health issues associated with exposure to asbestos fibers. Dr. Lushniak's statement reads:Asbestos is a commercial name for a collection of six highly durable fibrous minerals used for decades in thousands of commercial products, such as insulation and fireproofing materials, automotive brakes and textile products, cement and wallboard materials. Scientists have long understood that asbestos can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other lung diseases when the fibers are inhaled. Because of concerns about health effects, exposures to asbestos and certain uses of asbestos have been regulated in the U.S. for over 30 years. " In general, the greater the exposure to asbestos, the greater the chance an individual has of developing harmful health effects. Asbestos fibers may be released into the air where they can be easily inhaled and contaminate the surrounding area during demolition work, building or home maintenance, repair, and remodeling. For workers or homeowners, avoiding activities involving the disturbance of materials or products containing asbestos is the surest means of avoiding asbestos exposure. However, if you need to undertake such activities, there is guidance available to help you protect yourself and others. While most individuals exposed to asbestos, whether in the home or workplace will not develop disease – there is no known safe level of asbestos exposure and precautions should be taken to protect your health. Apparent symptoms and disease may take many years to develop following exposure, and asbestos-related conditions can be difficult to identify." "It's important for the public to see the Surgeon General's comments, especially the fact that there is really no known safe level of asbestos exposure," said Ed Cahill, Vice President, Asbestos Division at EMSL Analytical, Inc. "For over three decades, EMSL has been providing testing services to help identify materials and environmental samples that contain asbestos. These vital services help to prevent exposure to this hazardous material for workers and the general public."

To learn more about EMSL's asbestos services, please visit http://ift.tt/1kJN7nO or www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com . About EMSL Analytical, Inc. EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of environmental, food, pharmaceutical, and materials testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulatory agencies.

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