of the PFAS Sub-committee's ongoing scrutiny of remediation in and around Defence bases was presented today in Parliament.
Chair of the PFAS Sub-committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, the Hon Dr John McVeigh MP said that the Government's response to Joint Committee's 2018 report on PFAS contamination in and around Defence bases is under the microscope in this report.
'The Sub-committee had made a commitment to PFAS affected communities to evaluate progress under Defence's National PFAS Investigation and Management Program while the response was being prepared', Dr McVeigh said.
The Government response to the JSCFADT report was presented to Parliament out of session on 20 February 2020. It maintained, overall, that current arrangements adequately address, or can address, the issues the Committee raised over a year before.
The report tabled today makes ten recommendations to reform both high level and in-practice processes under the National PFAS program. These are grouped in four evaluative chapters, which respond to recommendations made in the JSCFADT 2018 review.
'While the Sub-committee acknowledges good work is being done, the Committee wants the Government and its agencies to be more accountable to the public and people affected by PFAS', Dr McVeigh said.
'This means providing the facts, getting people involved, delivering support and compensation, and driving through legislation and international agreements that will phase out PFAS firefighting foams permanently'.
The PFAS inquiry's second progress report is now available on the inquiry website.
