NABARLEK MEDICAL RECORDS

On Monday 2 September 1996 the Chairman, together with Senators Margetts, Bishop and Macdonald, visited the site of the decommissioned mine at Nabarlek. They were disturbed to find, in a now disused building, employee first aid records scattered about.

The following day Mr Malcolm Lyle, Manager, Group Corporate Affairs, Pioneer International Ltd, with responsibility for Queensland Mines, was informed about the situation. Mr Lyle informed the Committee on 11 September 1996 that:

I was surprised and shocked to hear about these papers, and view the matter very seriously. QMPL had been scrupulous about cleaning out the camp and offices before transferring responsibility for the assets to the Northern Lands Council on 1 January 1996. The papers had evidently been concealed in a desk or file, and were missed during the clean-up process.

On 3 September, the same day that I was informed of the matter, QMPL staff went to the camp site and recovered all the papers, which have now been destroyed. Our searches indicate that this was an isolated occurrence.

Subsequently, in response to enquiries from the Committee, Mr Lyle provided the following information on Nabarlek medical records:

• Personal radiation dose records for Nabarlek employees were compiled some years ago and were submitted to the Northern Territory health authorities.
• Medical examinations of Nabarlek employees were carried out by the Carpentaria Medical Centre in Darwin and are kept in the Centre's archives.
• First aid history cards for Nabarlek employees which were originally compiled by nurses in the first aid room at Nabarlek have been destroyed.