Oakey water contamination: Toowoomba Regional Council had relaxed attitude to warnings

TOOWOOMBA Regional Council gave an alarmingly “casual” response when warned of possible toxic ­contamination in their town water in 2014, internal emails show.

Kirsty Krause with son Graham, 16, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour and daughter Samantha, 15, who was found to have tumours on her brain stem. Picture: Mark Calleja

TOOWOOMBA Regional Council gave an alarmingly “casual” response when warned of possible toxic ­contamination in their town water in 2014, as internal government emails describe the poisoning in Oakey as the worst in Australia.

Emails obtained by The Courier-Mail show serious government departmental concern at the lack of ­urgency demonstrated by the Toowoomba Regional Council when first told of the risks associated with toxic firefighting foam used at the Oakey Army Aviation Base in June 2014.

OAKEY: PM considering land buybacks

An alert sent to staff at the Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) and Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) reveals perfluorooctane sulfonate(PFOS) and perflu­orooctanoic acid(PFOA) had “migrated outside the boundaries of the (Oakey army base) and into privately owned land”.

The resulting emails, circulated between departments from 2013-15, features frantic requests for information, crisis meetings to prepare media statements and suggestions to establish a co-ordinated, interdepartmental group with a “taskforcey feel to it”.

“This is the first I have heard of any of this,” one DNRM staffer wrote in 2014.

The internal emails confirm Defence had known of contamination risks several years before informing the State Government, council and Oakey residents.

Darling Downs Hospital chief executive Dr Peter Gillies talks to residents of Oakey today at a community forum. Picture: Jack Tran

One EHP representative described the scale of the ­crisis as “shocking”.

“They were shocked themselves when they started sampling around the base that the spread to the southwest was clearly far more ­extensive than they had thought,” he wrote.

“It was clear though, they (Defence) have not seen something as bad as this on any defence force site.”

An email sent in June 2014 reveals a government-contracted irrigation specialist had warned Toowoomba Regional Council their town water bore was dangerously close to PFOS and PFOA contaminated water sources.

“(The contractor) has expressed this issue to the Toowoomba Council and was surprised at their casual response,” the email reads.

Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio would not respond to questions about the council’s ­relaxed attitude.

“Our concern for the community of Oakey remains the same,” he said.

Defence Minister Marise Payne will visit the contaminated town of Oakey next week. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Minister finally plans to face residents

DEFENCE Minister Marise Payne reluctantly confirmed she will visit the contaminated town of Oakey next week after her opponent forced her hand in a debate.

After Senator Payne resisted requests from The Courier-Mailfor her to travel to Oakey and speak with residents, Senator Stephen Conroy yesterday pressured his rival into committing to the trip by revealing her plans to visit, during a Defence debate in Canberra.

After criticising “the complete lack of leadership from a minister who still has not yet been … to Oakey to meet with affected residents”, Senator Conroy said: “But I now acknowledge she has indicated she will go there next week.”

A spokesman for Senator Payne said arrangements were being made to visit the region next week.

It comes as Queensland Health representatives announced a counselling program for affected residents.

 

One of those is Kirsty Krause, who along with her 15-year-old son Graham and 16-year-old daughter Samantha, spent years in Oakey exposed to contaminated bore water.

The young family were left devastated after Graham was diagnosed with a slow-growing tumour on his brain and doctors found seven tumours in Samantha’s brain stem.

Ms Krause said exposure to Oakey’s toxic water could be linked.

“I think there’s a connection there and the stress this has caused my family is unimaginable.”