Media statement 8 February, 2011

ANSTO rejects flawed report

Repeated public comments by a suspended ANSTO employee are not consistent with findings
by Australia’s independent nuclear regulator, ARPANSA, and are again emphatically rejected by
ANSTO.

The false and incorrect claims repeated by Mr David Reid as part of a Comcare investigation in
which ANSTO was denied procedural fairness, are extremely concerning and ANSTO is
encouraged by Comcare’s decision to independently review its report. Given that review,
ANSTO cannot comment further on that report at this time.

ANSTO is disappointed that Mr Reid has not accepted the findings of seven investigations,
including two by ARPANSA, which found there was no significant radiological event, nor was
there an attempt to cover anything up. It is worth noting that all of ARPANSA’s
recommendations arising from the investigations at that time have been implemented or are
substantially complete.

ANSTO stands by its decision to suspend Mr Reid on full pay for behavioural matters in the
workplace which are unrelated to his role as a health and safety representative. Mr Reid’s
suspension was carried out in accordance with ANSTO’s Enterprise Agreement (EA 2009-
2011) under section 7.3 - Breach of Employees Duty and ANSTO’s duty of care to its
employees. ANSTO categorically rejects that Mr Reid has been discriminated against in any
way.

In addition, following the last Lateline story in May 2010, Mr Reid, a senior union representative,
and ANSTO’s CEO, met to discuss any outstanding or new safety concerns he had. No
substantive verifiable claims were made, nor was any evidence provided to back his earlier
claims. Mr Reid has claimed to be personally present at events where he demonstrably was not,
which severely damages the veracity of claims he continues to make. Since the previous
Lateline report, ANSTO has invited the journalist to visit and view first hand ANSTO employees
operating safely on a daily basis, providing critical nuclear medicine for the benefit of all
Australians.

Reference Number: MS02 Audience: Lateline Released:

Author: Becky Gollings
Checked by:
Safety is the highest priority for ANSTO, with a strong track record for more than 50 years. Over
the last four years, there have been no incidents where a worker has received a radiation dose
above regulatory limits or ANSTO’s stricter, self-imposed threshold.

ANSTO actively encourages staff to report safety issues and will continue to maintain the
strictest safety measures to safeguard the health of its workers and the general public.

ANSTO will continue to address Mr Reid’s employment matters, respecting his privacy, despite
the circumstances being selectively told in the public arena. Due to privacy reasons, ANSTO is
unable to respond in full.

Reference Number: MS02 Audience: Lateline Released:

Author: Becky Gollings
Checked by: