Senate calls on Morrison government to respond to PFAS inquiry report

The Senate voted yesterday in favour of a motion by Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, who said almost seven months had passed since the joint standing committee handed down its report.

Last December, the Newcastle Herald described the compensation call as a "shock departure" from government policy, given the report was delivered by a Queensland Liberal MP Andrew Laming, who described some of the impacts of the RAAF contamination as "horrifying".

Senator Faruqi, an environmental engineer before entering parliament and who sat on the inquiry, urged the government to take "concrete action and not leave communities hanging".

"More than three years after the contamination was publicly revealed, the federal government is no closer to resolving this issue and allowing people closure, " Senator Faruqi said.

"They must urgently release their response."

One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts also spoke to the motion, which was agreed to by the Senate.

"PFAS contamination has been found at RAAF Williamtown, Oakley, Richmond, Edinburgh, East Sale and Townsville," Senator Roberts told the house.

"The foam can seep into groundwater, forming a plume that moves beyond the source and into surrounding houses and farms.

"Residents can be contaminated from drinking the water, coming in contact with the soil, or eating food grown or raised in these so-called red zones.

The EPA and the German government have found high levels of PFAS are toxic for reproduction and development of the foetus, with probable links to serious conditions including testicular and kidney cancer."

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