List of recommendations

Recommendation 1

11.37The committee recommends that Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) reviews the Tolerable Daily Intakes for PFAS against the latest international research and regulatory settings and updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, and presents a report to the Australian Parliament—no later than October 2026—which outlines the findings of the review.

11.38As part of this review, FSANZ should reconsider the need to establish regulatory limits on PFAS in food, taking into account a holistic quantification of population PFAS exposure.

Recommendation 2

11.59The committee recommends that, as part of the current review of the enHealth guidance statement—Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), the Australian Government considers the appropriateness of the statement that health effects associated with PFAS exposure 'have generally been small and are unlikely to be important to health outcomes' in the context of leading international research and health advice.

Recommendation 3

11.78The committee recommends that the Australian Government considers providing subsidised PFAS blood testing, enhanced health and cancer screening, and targeted mental health support for those people with the highest levels of PFAS exposure, including some firefighters, people exposed at work, and residents of heavily contaminated areas (especially those with exposure to home-grown produce, contaminated seafood, plants and animals, river and creek waters, and/or bore water).

Recommendation 4

11.82The committee recommends that the Australian Government consults with the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and other relevant stakeholders on designs for a national, longitudinal chemicals biomonitoring program (similar to existing programs in the United States, South Korea, Japan, and several European countries) and associated longitudinal PFAS health research projects.

11.83A national biomonitoring program should incorporate a focus on monitoring exposure levels of children and pregnant women and identifying any associated health effects or trends.

11.84In designing the program, the government should consider using leftover blood held by pathology laboratories.

Recommendation 5

11.92The committee recommends that the review of the enHealth PFAS guidance statement consider whether the risks to human health from exposure to PFAS are dose dependent. Should the review determine that to be the case, the guidance should acknowledge that the risks are likely increased for those who have been heavily exposed and are lower for those with low levels of exposure to PFAS.

Recommendation 6

11.107The committee recommends that the Australian Government considers providing PFAS blood testing, cancer screening and general health monitoring for all impacted residents of Wreck Bay who wish to take part, with a particular focus on children and pregnant women.

11.108These services must be provided in a culturally appropriate and easily accessible manner, in collaboration with the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council and relevant Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

Recommendation 7

11.109The committee recommends that the Australian Government considers commissioning longitudinal research into the health impacts of exposure to PFAS contamination on the community at Wreck Bay.

11.110This research should utilise existing data from available sources as well as collecting new data through the testing and health monitoring outlined in Recommendation 6.

Recommendation 8

11.117The committee recommends the Australian Government:

works with the states and territories to ensure that workers are protected from unnecessary PFAS exposure in all states and territories;

reviews relevant Commonwealth work health and safety legislation, regulations, and official advice with the aim of ensuring a consistent approach to occupational PFAS exposure—and actively encourages states and territories to do the same;

amends the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail to classify PFAS as a 'dangerous good'; and

develops a publicly available online resource to provide state regulators, employers, and employees with information about PFAS as a workplace hazard, including how to initiate and progress remediation of contamination.

11.118Where necessary, work health and safety regulations should also be amended to extend provisions to employees of private companies working on PFAS remediation, such as for Defence.

Recommendation 9

11.119The committee recommends the Australian Government:

works with relevant state and territory regulators to ensure that all veterans and firefighters exposed to PFAS—including members of the Australian Army Fire Service and Retired Firefighters' Group—are considered and eligible as part of any remediation, research, testing, and support programs; and

includes Airservices Australia Emergency Vehicle Technicians in its workers compensation scheme for firefighters, by amending the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (Cth).

Recommendation 10

11.120The committee recommends the Australian Government works with state and territory work health and safety regulators to develop a national regulatory framework which enables state and territory WorkSafe agencies to issue notices and progress regulatory responses to PFAS exposure in Australian workplaces.

Recommendation 11

12.23The committee recommends the Australian Government:

fast-tracks the deployment of PFAS-free firefighting foams to replace all legacy PFAS-containing foams;

moves to quickly replace all legacy firefighting equipment that still utilises or stores PFAS-containing foams, and ensures the safe disposal of existing stocks;

bans or severely restricts the use of firefighting foams containing PFAS by Commonwealth entities; and

works through cross jurisdictional bodies to achieve an urgent national ban on the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams, including by private sector entities, major hazard facilities and B Class foam extinguishers in Australia.

Recommendation 12

12.26The committee recommends that the Australian Government provides funding for toxicological studies of fluorine-free foams so as to ensure that legacy PFAS-containing foams are not replaced by the next harmful products.

Recommendation 13

12.30The committee recommends that the Australian Government works with states and territories to establish a fund and taskforce to support the remediation of severely PFAS-contaminated sites, including current and former fire stations (and surrounds), firefighting training facilities, and nearby water catchments that have been impacted, and ensures the availability of uncontaminated drinking water at all fire stations.

12.31To complement this initiative, the Australian Government should establish an expert tripartite panel comprised of government, private sector and unions, to:

advise on reducing PFAS exposure risk to workers;

advise on effective remediation of PFAS-contaminated sites;

advise on new and established techniques and technologies; and

encourage further innovation through supporting site remediation research and development.

Recommendation 14

12.33The committee recommends the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sports and the Arts assumes full responsibility for remediation and management of PFAS contamination on and around Norfolk Island airport.

Recommendation 15

12.41The committee recommends that the Australian Government funds and coordinates a strategic national PFAS environmental monitoring program to track contamination levels and trends in the Australian environment, including key waterways and native wildlife species, and publish emerging data.

Recommendation 16

12.42The committee recommends that the Australian Government works with state and territory and local governments to improve data-sharing on PFAS contamination and remediation activity, and develop a publicly available, interactive online PFAS map which identifies PFAS contamination locations and remediation activity.

Recommendation 17

12.49The committee recommends that the Australian Government works with state and territory government entities to establish a mechanism to fund and support conservation and remediation of PFAS-contaminated environments that have significant social, cultural, recreational, heritage and/or environmental value.

12.50This initiative should include the development and provision of information to assist organisations to undertake remediation activities safely, and safety information for school groups and other recreational users.

Recommendation 18

12.71The committee recommends that the Australian Government commences negotiation with the aim of formalising its partnership with the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community for ongoing remediation and restoration of PFAS-affected lands and waters at Wreck Bay. The agreement should be designed to provide self-determination for Wreck Bay people in managing and remediating PFAS contamination on their land.

Recommendation 19

12.78The committee recommends that the Australian Government provides immediate access to clean drinking water for the community at Wreck Bay as a temporary measure until the pipeline connecting Wreck Bay to the Shoalhaven City Council water supply is completed and operational.

Recommendation 20

12.89The committee recommends that Australian Government agencies involved in remediation efforts, including the Department of Defence, work together with local First Nations community and language groups, and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, to review PFAS management plans and update them to incorporate actions to safeguard the cultural, social, nutritional, and economic wellbeing of First Nations people and communities that are significantly impacted by PFAS contamination.

12.90PFAS management plans for sites with significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities should be aligned with the priority reform areas in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Recommendation 21

12.91The committee recommends that the Australian Government urgently considers options to improve and maintain ongoing access to healthy and traditional food sources for Aboriginal communities around Katherine. This may include facilitating safer fishing, subsidising, and/or improving the supply of affordable uncontaminated seafood.

Recommendation 22

12.101The committee recommends that the new PFAS National Coordinating Body prioritises establishing community-based working groups, and/or other collaboration mechanisms, to facilitate the involvement of affected communities in decision-making processes relating to remediation efforts.

Recommendation 23

12.102The committee recommends that the Australian Government, through the Department of Defence, reaches out to local health services, such as Wurli Wurjlinjang in Katherine, to codesign culturally appropriate and effective signage and educational material for Aboriginal communities impacted by the PFAS contamination of the Katherine River.

Recommendation 24

12.105The committee recommends that the Australian Government investigates the proposal made by La Trobe University to develop Indigenous-led field-deployable PFAS detection technologies.

Recommendation 25

12.119The committee recommends that Airservices devotes additional resources to its National PFAS Management Program to expedite the remediation phase of the program.

Recommendation 26

12.125The committee recommends that the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts works with the Australian Airports Association, Airservices, and the Department of Defence to identify airports that may have been exposed to significant PFAS contamination which fall outside the scope of the three Commonwealth PFAS investigation and remediation programs.

12.126Options for remediating these airports should then be considered by the Australian Government, in collaboration with the relevant state, territory, and local government authorities.

Recommendation 27

12.135The committee recommends that the Australian Government works through the new PFAS National Coordinating Body, the Heads of Environmental Protection Authorities Australia and New Zealand, and other relevant bodies to:

conduct a national audit of PFAS contamination sites and remediation activity;

develop a strategic, risk-based national remediation plan;

develop a common national framework for remediation; and

develop national standards for reporting on remediation activity and outcomes.

Recommendation 28

12.139The committee recommends that the Australian Government produces a detailed cost estimate for the remediation of Australia's airports impacted by PFAS contamination and works with stakeholders to develop a cost-sharing model.

Recommendation 29

12.149The committee recommends that the Australian Government establishes an interdisciplinary joint council, comprising regulators, industry experts, and researchers, to evaluate PFAS treatment and remediation technologies.

Recommendation 30

12.150The committee recommends that the Australian Government continues to invest in a variety of PFAS remediation, removal and destruction technologies and techniques as part of its remediation programs. Where possible, Australian Government PFAS remediation programs should seek to support locally developed solutions and invest in environmentally responsible remediation technologies.

Recommendation 31

12.165The committee recommends that the Australian Government amends the National Water Quality Management Strategy to incorporate a coordinated approach to pollutants and contaminants, including PFAS. As part of this initiative, governments should create a taskforce, comprising regulatory agencies and industry bodies, to:

plan and coordinate the management of PFAS in water supplies around Australia;

develop standardised PFAS monitoring protocols and a national register of results; and

progress the implementation of the revised Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

Recommendation 32

12.171 The committee recommends that the Australian Government works with state and territory governments and the Water Services Association of Australia to develop funding mechanisms that will support water service providers to meet upgraded PFAS testing and removal.

Recommendation 33

12.175The committee recommends that the Australian Government actively pursues legal action against 3M and any other manufacturer of PFAS-containing firefighting foams used in Australia, with any settlement used to help fund remediation of contaminated sites.

Recommendation 34

12.184The committee recommends that the Australian Government works with stakeholders from the textiles, clothing, floor coverings, and furniture sectors, and other relevant stakeholders, to:

measure the scale and distribution of PFAS in clothing, textiles, floor coverings, and furniture across Australia;

identify key sources of PFAS-contaminated clothing, textiles, carpets and furniture, including import pathways;

develop strategies for reducing the import of PFAS-contaminated clothing, textiles, floor coverings, and furniture; and

develop mechanisms for more safely disposing of legacy PFAS-contaminated textiles waste.

Recommendation 35

12.188The committee recommends that the Australian Government fast-tracks regulatory reforms to remove PFAS from all food contact packaging imported into and/or used in Australia and considers encouraging the establishment of a domestic, toxic-free packaging industry.

Recommendation 36

12.204The committee recommends that the Australian Government works with state and territory governments, local councils, and the waste management sector to develop a plan for dealing with legacy PFAS contamination in Australian waste streams, including consideration of funding, options to reduce disposal of PFAS contamination in landfill facilities, and cost-sharing mechanisms.

Recommendation 37

12.210The committee recommends that the Australian Government fast-tracks the development and publication of new Health Investigation Levels to inform risk assessments for the suitability of PFAS contaminated land for agricultural purposes, and publishes advice on the threshold over which produce containing PFAS should not be sold.

Recommendation 38

12.211The committee recommends that, in line with Recommendation 16, the Australian Government provides publicly available information identifying the presence of PFAS contamination on farming land, and proactively informs landholders.

Recommendation 39

12.228The committee recommends that the Australian Government provides additional resources to the Australian Industrial Chemical Introduction Scheme to fast-track chemical assessment, including for PFAS and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to ensure toxic chemicals are not allowed on the market.

Recommendation 40

12.235The committee recommends that the Australian Government prioritises work to develop legislative and policy mechanisms to enable the Schedule 7 listing of PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS (and related chemicals) to be effectively monitored and enforced, especially in relation to imported products.

12.236Detection, disclosure and monitoring mechanisms should include internal assessments and self-reporting by businesses along with independent product testing where appropriate.

12.237Enforcement mechanisms should be risk-based, focussing on industries and sectors where businesses may be unintentionally or unwittingly importing products containing restricted PFAS.

Recommendation 41

12.238The committee recommends that, as a priority, the Australian Government works to enforce the PFAS ban in relation to cosmetics and personal care products, including period products.

Recommendation 42

12.239The committee recommends that the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water works with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to develop a mandatory product labelling regime aimed at retailers, wholesalers, distributors, importers and manufacturers who import consumer products containing PFAS chemicals.

Recommendation 43

12.244The committee recommends that, as a priority, the Australian Government:

provides adequate resourcing for the development of legislation and associated regulations to give effect to the ban on PFAS;

works with states and territories to encourage and support adoption of the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS) into state and territory chemical regulations;

urgently progresses the treaty making process to enable the ratification of the Stockholm Convention listings of PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS; and

works across government to develop a clear and simplified framework to enable faster ratification of future amendments to the Stockholm Convention and domestic implementation of toxic chemical bans.

Recommendation 44

12.245The committee recommends that the Australian Government develops a standardised approach to domestic chemical classification and regulatory changes for new hazard classifications made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Recommendation 45

12.254The committee recommends that the Australian Government works through intergovernmental decision-making forums, such as National Cabinet and the Heads of Environmental Protection Authorities Australia and New Zealand, to encourage and support jurisdictions to incorporate the standards, practices and regulatory limits outlined in the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP) into their own regulatory regimes, including new limits for biosolids.

12.255The Australian Government should consider providing additional resourcing and support as jurisdictions implement NEMP 3.0, including by funding the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to provide departmental staff to oversee and support the implementation.

Recommendation 46

12.262The committee recommends that the Australian Government works with: research organisations including the CSIRO, Australian Academy of Science and Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences; industry bodies; and independent research centres like crcCARE, to develop a strategic PFAS research strategy and roadmap.

12.263A national PFAS research strategy should focus investments towards developing novel remediation technologies, supporting longitudinal research—particularly in relation to health and environmental impacts—and streamlining ethics approval for research involving multiple jurisdictions.

Recommendation 47

12.267The committee recommends that the Australian Government provides user–friendly, up-to-date public information on PFAS which incorporates:

a 'single source of truth' on PFAS, updated regularly according to the most recent evidence, with publication dates included on all pages;

a single point of contact for members of the public to ask questions about PFAS; and

in due course, a map showing PFAS contamination 'hotspots' and remediation activity (see Recommendation 16).

12.268This information could be provided on a new website or the existing website hosted by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (pfas.gov.au).