Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I awoke with shock on 3 September to the Newcastle Herald headline 'Williamtown contaminated water warning: avoid bore water, fish, eggs'. The revelation that the PFOS contamination emanating from Lake Cochran on RAAF Base Williamtown had spread across the surrounding areas—spreading out via Moors Drain to the Tilligerry Creek and Salt Ash area, and via Dawsons Drain, which runs into Fullerton Cove—is extremely concerning. As a consequence, commercial fishing has stopped in the Fullerton Cove. Bores were discovered to contain unacceptable levels of PFOS. Livelihoods have been affected. Properties have been immediately devalued. Finance and loans were blacklisted by banks and there has been an increase in mental health issues across the area. Basically, the area has been quarantined, rendering it relatively useless.

Now we have found out via the Newcastle Herald on 25 February that waste allegedly—and I want to state it clearly: allegedly—transferred from RAAF Base Williamtown for processing by Australian Waste Oil Refineries at Rutherford was improperly treated before discharge, exacerbating the situation. This latest fiasco caused PFOS and PFOA pollution in Fishery Creek at Rutherford in Maitland. The Australian Waste Oil Refineries waste water sample showed a very high level—116 milligrams per litre—of PFOS and 1.14 micrograms per litre of PFOA, while the Farley Wastewater Treatment Works discharge point sample showed 1.48 micrograms per litre of PFOS and 0.13 micrograms per litre of PFOA.

What is disappointing is that we have to learn this again from the media. If the allegation that the waste came from RAAF Base Williamtown is correct, I have to question the competence of those sourcing and authorising the contract. If it did not come from RAAF Base Williamtown, then where did it come from with such high levels of PFOS and PFOA? What was the source? Where was the due diligence in ensuring the competence and compliance of the contract letting?

And were Australia Waste Oil Refineries suitably qualified and appropriately licensed to process this waste? The resultant illegal discharge would suggest not. Who checked the licences and qualifications for processing the waste before the contracts were let? No matter where the waste came from, where was the due diligence of those who let the contracts to ensure that it was to be properly treated? What actions have been taken to identify the weak links in the chain that allowed this to happen?

Hunter Water advised the NSW EPA of the test results on the 22nd of February and suspended the PFOS and PFOA found in samples collected from the site on February 12th. My question to the EPA is: why did it take 10 days to process and suspend the licence, given this has been a hot topic of immense concern to all of my community? Fortunately, the samples collected at Farley Wastewater Treatment Works discharge point at Fishery Point do not affect Hunter Water's drinking supply and relate to discharges into sewer only. However, it does not mitigate the impact or the concerns of my community.

I have many unanswered questions in relation to these contamination scandals overall and I demand answers. Going back to RAAF Williamtown and the recent Senate inquiry, it was revealed that Hunter Water knew that there was contamination in the water pumping station directly downstream from RAAF base as early as 2009. So why did it take six years to act? Admittedly, Hunter Water and NSW EPA are not the source of the problem but why did they not act when they discovered the problem—after all, they are the guardians of our water and our environment respectively?

The fact that the Chief Executive of the NSW EPA, Barry Buffier, admitted to the inquiry that the agency knew but did not act sufficiently early or sufficiently strongly after it was told about the existence of PFOS and PFOA in the groundwater is totally unacceptable. Why did all these agencies not act earlier? Had this been acted on in 2009, we would now be six years down the track in finding a solution. Why didn't the then defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon—or followed by John Faulkner, Stephen Smith or David Johnston—act on this, or brief me or the member for Newcastle, on the situation? Or did Defence think it was not an issue the minister and the community needed to know about? My question is: why?

As I said in previous speeches, the first job is to stop the spread of contamination flowing from Lake Cochrane and it has to be done before any remediation works can occur. I do not want to play the blame game; I just want answers and solutions for my community.