Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee on contamination caused by firefighting foams at RAAF Base Williamtown and Australian Defence Force facilities, together with the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the committee.

Ordered that the report be printed.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

This report addresses the first part of the committee's terms of reference and focuses on the contamination caused by chemicals used in firefighting foams at RAAF Base Williamtown on the surrounding communities. However, other defence facilities where firefighting foam was extensively used have, or are likely to have, similar issues. In particular, the situation at Army Aviation Centre Oakey in Queensland has been raised with the committee. The committee did not receive sufficient evidence to address these other defence facilities in this report and intends to explore this aspect in the second part of its inquiry. The committee also has indicated in its report that there are also significant matters where questions remain at RAAF Base Williamtown and it may need to further examine the response here.

The immediate impact on the communities around RAAF Base Williamtown of the contamination has been profound. The shadow of uncertainty regarding the spread of the pollutants has created fear and concern, but it has also had real and concrete impacts for these residents and businesses. This is a crisis for those people who have been told they have been drinking potentially contaminated water, that they cannot work or that their property may be worthless. However, this situation has not received a crisis response from government agencies.

The community and the committee expects that Commonwealth government agencies such as Defence to be responsible custodians of the environment and exemplars in protecting public health. Unfortunately, there appears to be a lack of Commonwealth government leadership and a reluctance to take full responsibility for the contamination at RAAF Base Williamtown.

The committee has made a number of recommendations to defence and to the Commonwealth government more broadly. The first recommendations focus on access to water issues, the provision of mental health and counselling services, initial compensation of the fishing community and the coordination of the response of government agencies. Other recommendations focus on providing certainty for affected residents and commercial fishermen in the longer term. Finally, the committee makes recommendations on some related issues: blood testing and the application of environmental regulations to defence.

Defence is currently providing bottled water to some affected residents due to the contamination of the groundwater. In Newcastle, the committee received evidence that affected residents were having difficulties with this scheme. We have recommended that defence immediately review its provision of water and the replacement of water infrastructure to affected residents to ensure it is sufficient to meet their needs.

Many commercial fishermen have had their incomes ceased or substantially reduced because of the fishing closures at Fullerton Cove and Tilligerry Creek while the contamination is investigated. Accordingly, the committee has recommended that the Commonwealth government, with the advice of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, develop an initial compensation package for the commercial fishermen affected by the closures of Fullerton Cove and Tilligerry Creek.

The mental health impacts of the contamination on affected residents and the need for additional support services was clear in the evidence the committee received. The committee has recommended that defence examine providing additional mental health and counselling support services to those affected by contamination at RAAF Base Williamtown.

Importantly, tensions between New South Wales government agencies and defence were abundantly clear during the inquiry. Further, a lack of coordination between different parts of the response to the contamination also appeared to be causing problems. The committee has recommended that defence and the New South Wales government examine establishing a joint taskforce to coordinate the response of government agencies to the contamination from RAAF Base Williamtown.

A consistent theme in the evidence was that affected residents and commercial fishermen needed a level of certainty in relation to compensation from defence and the Commonwealth government regarding the damage caused by contamination. Accordingly, the committee has recommended that the Commonwealth government commit to voluntarily acquiring property and land which is no longer fit for purpose due to PFOS or PFOA contamination from RAAF Base Williamtown. Further, if PFOS or PFOA contamination from RAAF Base Williamtown causes permanent or long-term fishing closures, the Commonwealth government should    commit to compensate and should purchase the relevant rights of fisherman affected and establish an industry transition program for affected commercial fishermen to assist them to relocate or transfer to other industries.

Despite calls from the community for access to blood tests for levels of PFOS or PFOA, Defence relied on New South Wales Health advice that blood testing was not appropriate, given that no medical advice could be given based on the results. However, the committee was not convinced by this evidence and notes there are a number of other reasons to undertake blood tests. The committee recommended that Defence arrange and fund a program of blood tests for residents in the investigation area on an annual basis.

A lack of clarity in relation to the environmental regulation of Defence was repeatedly raised during the inquiry. To begin to resolve this, the committee has recommended that Defence release a policy statement to clarify its environmental obligations and responsibilities for contamination which spreads to non-Commonwealth land. In particular, it should clarify the capacity of state and territory environment regulation to apply to its activities. In relation to the remediation of RAAF Base Williamtown, the committee received conflicting evidence. However, Defence has committed to follow-up remediation strategies as a priority.

Following the committee's hearing in Newcastle on 22 December, the NSW government has announced a package of assistance measures to help the community at Williamtown deal with the consequences of the contamination. The announcement that affected residents will be connected to town water, that new testing equipment will be acquired and that additional mental health services will be provided indicates an understanding of the situation and of community concerns which, unfortunately, has been lacking at the federal level.

There are likely to be many other military and civilian airports and firefighting training sites, as well as other facilities, which will have legacy contamination through the use of firefighting foams. The committee is concerned that if the mistakes made regarding contamination at RAAF Base Williamtown are not addressed promptly they will almost certainly be repeated at other sites in the future. The committee will continue to examine these issues in the second part of its inquiry.

I commend the report and the excellent work of the participating senators and the secretariat in the preparation of it.