Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, the Department of Defence released a detailed investigation into PFAS in the vicinity of the RAAF base at Amberley in Ipswich, and, having read 1,500 pages of the report into the ecology and into human health, there was one line that stood out. That line, used repeatedly, was, 'The "do nothing" option cannot be justified.' Doing nothing was clearly not an option on the table. The potential risks to the human health and the environment based on the use of land and water at the RAAF base at Amberley and in the vicinity means that doing nothing is not a justifiable option, though I am somewhat comforted that, allegedly, the risks to human health are low or considered acceptable.

I've been trying to get clarity on the levels of PFAS in and around Amberley for years, and so have local residents. It's a rural or semirural area. It's home to farms along with local fauna, including koalas, and other native fauna and flora, which means we cannot take unnecessary risks. On top of the that, the base backs onto the residential suburbs of One Mile and Leichhardt, and PFAS has been found in Golf Links Estate, a relatively new residential enclave built on the old golf course.

To give you some context, One Mile and Leichhardt are just five kilometres south of Ipswich's CBD. There are creeks that snake their way through the region and feed into the Bremer River and, eventually, the Brisbane River. It's for these reasons that communities and local families, along with current and former serving members of the Defence Force and I, are fighting to ensure that doing nothing is never considered a viable option again.

I've written to the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, seeking government funding for voluntary blood-testing programs to be expanded to the RAAF base at Amberley. Regrettably, he has denied that. It's conducted around Williamtown, Oakey and Katherine. You would have thought that, for the largest RAAF base in the country—which is complete with its own firefighting facilities which utilise PFAS and is located close to a medium-density residential area—it would be considered unnecessary to ask for that support, but, unfortunately, the government has rejected it.

There were 1,500 pages of an assessment—yet another report into relation to this particular matter. While the risks are considered to be low, I call on the Minister for Defence to outline what the measures are to be taken and when they will be undertaken to remedy the situation for local residents. It's imperative the government acts sooner rather than later and improves. In context, I am grateful for former Ipswich city councillor, David Pahlke, who's given me a letter from the then Minister for Defence, dated 9 November 2001, to my predecessor saying: 'It's alright. There's nothing to worry about. I hope that allays your concern.'