Asbestos advocates concerned over James Hardie’s Parramatta Eels sponsorship

September 24, 2024

The Parramatta Eels are being urged to reconsider its decision to accept a multi-year sponsorship deal from former asbestos manufacturer, James Hardie Industries.

With the NRL club having announced in May that James Hardie would be its front-of-jersey sponsor from 2025, asbestos sufferers have called the decision by the Eels "outrageous" despite the club saying it is "delighted to strengthen an iconic relationship".

James Hardie, a major backer of the club between 1981 and 1995 when it won four premierships, was previously Australia's largest producer of asbestos materials - a product that can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, chronic lung condition, asbestosis.

The comapny stopped asbestos production in 1987, but prior to then and in the decades following, sufferers fought the company for compensation, even when it relocated to The Netherlands in 2001.

James Hardie eventually set up a $4 billion compensation fund, but the scars of years of legal battles run deep for victims.

Asbestos Diseases Foundation President, Barry Robson, wants Parramatta to rethink the sponsorship deal advising "I think it's outrageous. It's a trigger to what has happened by James Hardie with their dangerous products containing asbestos.

"It hasn't gone away - the legacy of their products. I fought this company for 10 long years to get compensation for victims.

"To see the name Hardie on these football jumpers will trigger in some families memories of loved ones that have died from being exposed to these James Hardie products.

"I know Parramatta supporters have been victims. I'm asking them (Parramatta) to reconsider the decision."

In May, Parramatta released a statement announcing the sponsorship deal in which it advised "the club was delighted to strengthen an iconic relationship with deep historic roots for both organisations."

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has also criticised the deal noting that it “ignores the pain of asbestos victims and communities impacted by legacy asbestos.

In a letter to the Parramatta Eels Chief Executive, Jim Sarantinos the ACTU, Unions NSW and Asbestos Groups have criticised the Club’s decision to accept the sponsorship, advising “sponsorship implies an endorsement by the Parramatta Eels and the NRL of James Hardies’ current and past corporate behaviour, and risks diminishing the gravity of the suffering of victims and their families.”

ACTU Assistant Secretary, Liam O’Brien explained that “sports organisations have a powerful influence on public perception and community values. By accepting sponsorship without considering the impact on the local community, the Parramatta Eels are overlooking the pain and ongoing struggles of asbestos victims and communities impacted by legacy asbestos.”

Image: The Parramatta Eels have been under to drop their James Hardie sponsorship for the 2025 NRL season. Pictured here when making the announcement in May.

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