Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Following the member for Paterson's excellent contribution, I rise to talk about the devastating financial impact that the contamination around RAAF Williamtown is having on the residents of Williamtown and Salt Ash. What we have already seen is a 15 per cent decline in land values, which is placing families and farmers under huge pressure. We are seeing valuers refusing to go onto properties because of OH&S concerns. Imagine that—valuers will not even go onto the properties, which people are being forced to live in, to understand the impact of this contamination on land values. What is worse, the government committed to talking to the banks to give these communities breathing space so they could really get on top of this issue, but the government have already broken that promise. We have seen the banks taking advantage of that.

In the recent House of Representatives banking inquiry, which I participated in, we saw allegations that banks did not even give breathing space; in fact, they pressured residents of Salt Ash and Williamtown to increase their repayments at an outrageous time when they were facing huge crises. Imagine that—trying to get through a huge issue of contamination, with the heath impacts and the financial impacts, and banks are saying, 'Not only are we not going to give you breathing space; we are going to ramp up your repayments.' The government has done nothing to stop this. The government must step in to protect these communities. To preserve the financial and health futures of these residents, it is time for the government to do something, for once, on this issue.