Just another 'hollow promise' says Kim-Leeane King on the fate of her contaminated home

Along with many others living in the Williamtown red zone, she attended a community information session in December where she was told about plans for a 'Special Activation Precinct' being built near the RAAF base.

The investigation area spanned 10,000 hectares, and would involve the acquisition of properties, like that of Mrs King's, contaminated by firefighting foam. "As a result of that we started packing our house up," Mrs King said.

The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has confirmed this week, however, that the suburbs of Salt Ash, Campvale, Tomago, and Fullerton Cove are no longer part of the plan. It remains unclear just what will be considered, with a draft plan not now scheduled for release until 2022.

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"We have had a newsletter but the only thing that newsletter said was that they were looking at the area directly south of the precinct, they have not alluded to who that involves, or how much they are taking,

"It is expected that the precinct's final boundary will focus on a more confined area, south of the Newcastle Airport and Williamtown RAAF base," a spokesman for the Department of Regional NSW said.

A spokesman for the Department of Regional NSW said it is now expected that the precinct's "final boundary will focus on a more confined area, south of the Newcastle Airport and Williamtown RAAF base".

"As the boundary of the Williamtown precinct is confirmed as part of the draft master planning process, the scale and scope of potential acquisitions will also be refined within that final boundary."

It's another disappointment for Mrs King who thought this was her ticket out.

"All these hollow promises ... nothing's happened, and nothing's going to happen," Mrs King said. "Am I angry? You're damn right I'm angry. We're gutted. We're still stuck here, and no one's been near us after all this time."

The federal government has agreed to pay $86 million to compensate members of a Wiliamtown PFAS class action launched in 2016 which amounted to about $172,000 each of the 500 class action members before legal and administrative fees are deducted.

It was not enough to get out, residents say.

"They walk over you and you're just trodden on and they don't care what damage they do, what the ramifications are, or how they affect other people's lives," Mrs King said.

In the lead up to the election, the project was touted as "a positive permanent solution for the PFAS situation" and later then Deputy Premier John Barilaro said it "was likely to take-in part of the PFAS-contaminated red zone surrounding the RAAF base".

"The initial investigation is the land acquisition and what parts (are needed) and this may become a remedy for some parts of the land that has been contaminated," Mr Barilaro said.

Port Stephens MP Kate Washington said the details of the plan had been shared with Port Stephens Council at a briefing with the department in September, including that the investigation of the special activation zone had been slashed from 10,000 hectares, to just 135 hectares. Requests to the state government for access to a copy of that plan have been refused.

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