The Senate Select Committee on PFAS, chaired by Senator Lidia Thorpe, has today released its final report, after more than a year examining failures in the Australian Government’s approach to PFAS contamination and risk mitigation.
The report finds that federal health guidance lags behind international science, downplays risks to affected communities, and fails to provide adequate monitoring, testing, or support for exposed workers, First Peoples’ communities, and contaminated regions.
Download the full report and recommendations here.
The report makes 47 recommendations, including:
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Reviewing and strengthening health guidance and safe exposure levels.
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Providing subsidised PFAS blood testing, enhanced health screening, and mental health support for highly exposed groups such as firefighters, and affected communities.
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Establishing a national longitudinal biomonitoring program, with particular focus on children and pregnant women.
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Fully phasing out PFAS-containing firefighting foams and introducing nationally consistent work health and safety regulations, including classifying PFAS as a dangerous good.
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Developing a publicly available, interactive online PFAS map which identifies PFAS contamination locations and remediation activity.
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Developing standardised PFAS monitoring guidelines for drinking water.
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Improving Australian chemical assessment, classification and regulation.
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Phasing out PFAS in a range of consumer products and improving product labeling.
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Investing in further research, as well as a range of remediation technologies to address existing PFAS contamination, and expedite remediation efforts on contaminated sites.
- Pursuing 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.
While the committee agreed on a large number of key recommendations, Senator Thorpe’s additional comments emphasise that more action is required to adequately tackle this major health and environmental challenge, including:
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Banning all PFAS chemicals by default under the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS), with only strictly justified “essential uses” allowed through an independent, scientifically rigorous assessment.
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Drastically strengthening chemical and environmental regulation to prevent further harm.
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Establishing enforceable water quality standards and regular testing requirements.
Senator Thorpe's additional comments can be viewed at page 293 of the report. Download the report here.
Quotes attributable to Senator Lidia Thorpe
"For too long, PFAS chemicals have poisoned our land, water, and communities, while governments looked the other way.
"The science is clear: PFAS is toxic and linked to immune, reproductive and cancer risks. People are getting sick but the problem is still being minimised — that has to stop.
"These chemicals are the asbestos of the 21st century.
"First Peoples, firefighters, farmers and communities like Wreck Bay have been on the front line of this contamination. First Peoples have lost access to Country, food sources and cultural practices, and many are suffering related diseases. All these groups deserve blood testing, cancer screening and mental health support, not more excuses.
"Chemical companies knowingly hid the harm for decades. The government must take them to court and make them pay for the damage they’ve caused. How can a handful of big corporations get away with poisoning an entire planet?
"The committee reached agreement on a large number of recommendations, but as Chair I’ve provided additional comments because stronger action is urgently needed. All PFAS chemicals should be banned, not phased out one at a time. Only genuinely essential uses should remain, assessed independently, not by the chemical industry.
"This report is a warning and cannot be allowed to gather dust like so many others. The Albanese Government must act now to implement the recommendations, protect communities and clean up contaminated land. There can be no more excuses. We owe it to current and future generations to act."