John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to advise the chamber that I rise to speak on the motion of the member for Paterson. The Turnbull government certainly recognises community concerns around the potential impacts of what we know as PFAS chemicals. This is a challenge many decades in the making, and it requires a comprehensive and fact-based response.

As a government and for me as the member for Groom—which takes in the beautiful community of Oakey—we understand the impact and the need to respond as soon as practicable. But this is not a simple issue with a simple solution, and it is not just a localised issue in certain locations, such as Williamtown or Oakey. National implications make it even more important that the government gets this right and that it follows appropriate scientific investigation processes to gather the evidence that we need to underpin sound decisions for the long-term future.

I have been engaged with our Oakey community on this issue since before my election this year right through to a meeting between some local landholders and the Minister for Defence Personnel just last week. That engagement will continue in the coming weeks, in the coming months and, in terms of community recovery, in the coming years.

I know Oakey. It is the community where I spent my childhood. We meet in homes, in businesses, in the main street and in public halls, and we will continue to do so until we reach the outcomes that we need. Make no mistake, Oakey residents and landholders are frustrated. They are angry and they are stressed, and understandably so, both in terms of the time required to get the science and basis for future decision-making right and the divisions that have been caused in our local community based on differing views of those impacts and potential solutions.

But I firmly believe the role of government is to focus on the science to develop those answers as soon as possible. Rather than the approach of those opposite, who seek to politicise this issue, the Turnbull government's actions and decisions are informed first and foremost by medical experts. To date, the advice is that there is no consistent evidence that suggests exposure to PFAS causes any adverse human health effects. Whilst this is the expert advice to government, we do understand this offers small comfort to people living in impacted communities.

The government is also on the record as considering the matter of property acquisition and compensation now that the interim health reference values have been established and detailed environmental investigations are concluding. Now would I like to see those answers available today? Of course I would. I know Oakey landholders wanted to see them yesterday. But to ensure the highest prioritisation that the Turnbull government believes that it deserves, the Prime Minister has directed that the whole-of-government task force coordinating its response be moved into the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to ensure a comprehensive, whole-of-government response is developed with the states and territories. The consultation is essential and I, amongst others, have been critical of earlier consultation by Defence. But now it is now time that we focus on progressing these investigations through to finalisation. We are on track for delivering our election commitments: blood testing, epidemiological study, mental health community liaison officers and remediation. Alternative drinking water supplies are in place in the meantime.

Science and fact are the best approach for strategies to reduce exposure for the community and for management and remediation. To suggest that this should be rushed or that corners should be cut displays a complete disregard for the expertise and resources required to undertake what will be one of the biggest environmental investigations ever undertaken in this country. One thing this government is not going to do is put at risk the integrity of those investigations to meet a politically convenient time frame. It is greatly distressing that those opposite are unashamedly saying that that is what they would do.

The calls for the establishment of a national intergovernmental task force and other approaches are simply playing catch-up with what is already in place.

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