Homeowners affected by PFAS contamination should be compensated, inquiry finds

The owners of properties potentially contaminated by toxic firefighting foam should be able to get compo payouts, a Federal Government inquiry says, paving the way for settlements.

• EPA begins PFAS testing at West Lakes
• Class action lawsuit for property owners near Edinburgh RAAF base

Homeowners whose properties have been contaminated by potentially cancer-causing toxins from firefighting foam – historically used at defence bases – should be eligible for compensation, a Federal Government inquiry has found.

Buy-backs should also be considered as a possibility for homes in the PFAS-contamination zone, a report released on Monday by Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade said.

The findings could have implications for northern suburbs homes and businesses in the contamination zone around the Edinburgh RAAF base.

The committee found the government should “prioritise assisting property owners and businesses in affected areas through compensation for financial losses associated with contamination emanating from defence bases, including the possibility of buybacks”.

It also found mental health support and counselling should be provided for “all people affected by PFAS”.

EPA scientists sample the water and fish at West Lakes last week after PFAS was found in samples from the old Port Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant nearby.

Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Assistant Minister Trevor Evans said the government would review the recommendations and respond in due course.

But Shine Lawyers, which is spearheading a class action to seek compensation for businesses and homeowners in the contamination zone around the RAAF base, has questioned whether the government will act on the findings.

“This is the third inquiry to recommend buybacks or compensation for affected property owners and yet the Federal Government still hasn’t implemented such a scheme,” Shine Lawyers’ Joshua Aylward said.

But he added the class action filed in March on behalf of property owners in seven locations, including Edinburgh, had been fast-tracked to mediation in 2021.

“The Federal Court of Australia has appointed an independent land valuation referee who is preparing a report in relation to losses in these communities and is due to present that report by December,” he said.

The Federal Court approved a $212.5m class-action settlement in June for PFAS-affected residents in Williamtown in NSW, Oakey in Queensland, and Katherine in the NT.

There are 4259 lots in the Edinburgh PFAS contamination zone.

Commonwealth funding has been committed for research into the prolonged health effects of PFAS as well a drinking water program for a number of impacted communities.