Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to commend those involved in the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade's report Inquiry into the management of PFAS contamination in and around Defence bases November 2018 and to put on the record some of the things that are happening in the electorate of Lalor around both the Laverton and Point Cook RAAF bases.

I attended a community information session at RAAF Base Williams at Laverton on 9 August 2018. That night, I listened carefully to the presentations that were given, and I raised some issues that I thought were pertinent with those responsible. One of those is that the Laverton base is unique in that we are in a situation where Defence have divested part of the asset—the runway that is now the built environment suburb called Williams Landing. This is a unique situation in Australia. It's particularly pertinent around PFAS investigation and ensuring that we identify all the possible sites that could have been used as firegrounds and training in the history of RAAF Base Williams at Laverton. I spoke to the developer of Williams Landing, Cedar Woods, on 17 August about progress and community consultation. I have heard from some members of the community that they have now received some information in their letterboxes about the PFAS contamination processes. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the second consultation because I was busy with other things, but I have since written to Mr Luke McLeod, the assistant secretary of the PFAS investigation and management branch, putting in writing some questions that I need to have answered and that the community need to have answered about where they are in terms of identifying sites, particularly those that are off the current RAAF base site.

This is unique in another way, and that is that, in terms of local government areas, the current RAAF Base Laverton site is the border for—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 16:35 to 16:43

The RAAF base at Laverton, as it exists now, sits solely in the Hobsons Bay local government area, while Williams Landing, which is the suburb built on the divested asset, sits wholly in the Wyndham local government area. That makes this all the more complex but all the more important that, when Defence are dealing with these issues, they are speaking to both local governments and including both communities—those who sit beside the Laverton base and those who sit in the Wyndham LGA in Williams Landing. I'd also make the comment that, while Julia Gillard was still the member for Lawler, the Point Cook RAAF base underwent heavy clean-up for contaminated soil, but it would still be worth it for Defence to make a statement or do some surveys to give the community surety that all of the PFAS was cleaned up in that clean-up.

Debate adjourned.