ADJOURNMENT

Mr NEUMANN (Blair) (19:35): The announcement last week that the Commonwealth has commenced legal action against 3M Australia and the 3M company for allegedly withholding information and making false statements about the long-term environmental impact of the use of 3M firefighting foam containing PFAS on Defence sites was most welcome in my local community. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, are forever chemicals, a manmade group of chemicals that are soluble in water.

They've been used commonly in household products and in industrial use since the 1950s. As part of this action, the Commonwealth is seeking more than $2 billion in damages to recover significant past and future expenses incurred in investigating and managing contamination resulting from the historical storage and use of the foam at 28 Defence base sites across the country.

Defence has spent $1.3 billion on PFAS response, monitoring, assessment and remediation, working with state and territory governments to support communities near bases. In addition to that, Defence has settled multiple claims—class actions as well as individual claims—to the tune of millions of dollars. This is the largest claim ever brought by the Commonwealth.

It's an encouraging development for my electorate of Blair, which is home to the RAAF Base Amberley, near Ipswich, where there is PFAS contamination on or around the base, including in nearby waterways and residential areas like Amberley, Willowbank and Leichhardt. The testing has been regular and ongoing. It's been going for the best part of a decade.

There are gaps analyses and risk assessments on contamination at all Defence sites including at RAAF Base Amberley. We need to mitigate the risks to human health, which are still unclear, and to the environment. I don't believe complete eradication of PFAS is possible, but the risks must be assessed and minimised.

Here's a bit of history. It's really important. PFAS testing on the RAAF Base Amberley has been going on since about April 2018 as part of the PFAS investigation conducted on seafood, mullet, catfish and eels in the Bremer River and Warrill Creek.

The analysis showed that this shouldn't be eaten. In addition, further testing analysis was carried out by Defence as part of the human health risk assessment. Not just in April 2018 but in November 2018 there were Defence studies showing PFAS chemicals had leached from firefighting foams used at RAAF Base Amberley, and there was a Department of Defence scientific study in August 2019.

Over on page 111 and 112 in appendix B, it states that children and adults eating meat from cattle grazing at Warrill Creek beside RAAF Base Amberley had a health risk 47 times the acceptable levels. Of course, there were health risks associated with home consumption of beef. The August study expanded the concerns into other areas around Bremer River that circle the facility at RAAF Base Amberley.

There was study into human impacts recommending residents not eat eggs from their own properties near the base. Fruit and vegetables grown near the base would also be tested before being eaten. I said back in those days that it was clear that residents should have access to blood and other appropriate tests so they could make sure their human health was not affected by associated, direct or indirect contact with PFAS compounds.

I wrote to the previous government, and they knocked that request back. In August 2019, the study recommended further ecological studies in the Leichhardt residential area, where water was used from the waterways on what was then the fairways of the golf course before it was turned into residential dwellings. I'm proud of this commitment by this government for a review of PFAS areas, and I was proud of the fact that, when I was shadow minister for defence personnel back in 2022, we made an announcement that we would undertake a review.

Jim Varghese, a well-respected Queensland senior public servant with extensive experience, undertook that review. One of the key recommendations was the establishment of a national coordinating body to strengthen national collaboration and regional oversight. In October last year I was pleased that the government announced the inclusion of Queensland and Northern Territory representation in the body earlier than expected.

Monitoring and remediation is critical for RAAF Base Amberley, and a plan needs to be undertaken and will be undertaken. People in my community and across Defence sites throughout the country have dealt with the consequences of PFAs contamination for many years, and they deserve transparency, accountability and ongoing support. I welcome this litigation.

It's an action of a government that's committed to fighting for Australians in the long-term interest, and I welcome the outcome and I support the government.