Relief in Oakey as report handed down
Compensation recommended for land owners
OAKEY residents say they’re relieved to hear a parliamentary inquiry has recommended people impacted by PFAS contamination receive compensation, but will keep holding their breath until the Federal Government acts on the report.
The Inquiry into the management of PFAS contamination in and around Defence bases
handed down its report on Monday and recommended a coordinator general be appointed to take over the Federal Government’s response to the contamination and landowners in contaminated areas be compensated for financial losses relating to the contamination.
Oakey resident Jennifer Spender, who has campaigned for several years for justice for those impacted by the scandal and spoke at a hearing for the inquiry in August, said it was a relief to finally see the report.
“Hopefully the (Government) will look at the findings and act,” she said.
“They can’t just put this in the back draw.”
Cattle farmer Dianne Priddle said she felt those concerned with the contamination in Oakey had “finally been listened to”.
“Why should I have to go through another year of fighting droughts and this mess,” she said.
“We shouldn’t be forced into a class action (to get compensation). We shouldn’t be forced to court.”
She said the report vindicated what a number of other residents had been saying for years, that the Department of Defence did not understand the human impact of the contamination.
Inquiry chair Andrew Laming said several communities around Australia had been hurt by the contamination.
“It should not take years of campaigning at this level of effort to adequately address the legitimate concerns of communities of people,” he said.
Environment Minister Melissa Price said the Federal Government would “carefully consider” the report’s recommendations.
PFAS, or per- and poly-fluo-roalkyl substances, are a group of man-made chemicals that were commonly found in firefighting foams used at aviation centres. The chemical, which has leaked into water sources around Oakey, has been linked to a number of diseases internationally, but Australia’s current health advice, which the inquiry found to “be not consistent or up to date”, does not currently agree with that.