Over the 46th Parliament, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade will undertake a watching brief of government action on per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) harms and their remediation.
The Chair of the PFAS Sub-committee Dr John McVeigh MP said the inquiry will focus on the Department of Defence’s ‘National PFAS Investigation and Management Program’, with 27 defence sites now being assessed.
“In undertaking this inquiry, the Sub-committee intends to conduct a rolling but targeted review of the Government’s PFAS remediation responses over the entire Parliament,” Dr McVeigh said.
Dr McVeigh explained that the Committee notes the intensive community consultation in the previous parliament. Key departments, agencies and experts will be examined in public meetings and reports regularly submitted to the Parliament. Community commentary on the Committee’s reports will be invited, bringing the inquiry cycle full circle.
“The aim of this inquiry is to provide the community information about actual progress in remediation of PFAS-related harms to humans and the environment— what is being done, when, and how effective it is, and an opportunity to comment,” Dr McVeigh said.
The PFAS Sub-committee’s scrutiny follows on from a comprehensive review of Government responses to PFAS contamination in the last parliament. The inquiry report, tabled in December 2018, made nine recommendations to address community concerns.
The Committee awaits the Government’s response to this report.
Media inquiries
Dr John McVeigh MP
Chair of the PFAS Sub-committee
John.McVeigh.MP@aph.gov.au
(02) 6277 4277
For background information
For further details about the scrutiny process and the Committee’s public hearing program contact:
Committee Secretary
Sub-committee Secretariat
02 6277 2313
jscfadt@aph.gov.au
