Crisafulli vows to act if Brisbane put at risk by ‘forever chemicals’

Premier David Crisafulli says “there will be accountability” if residents have been put at risk by “forever chemicals” in drinking water.

This masthead revealed this week that cancer-causing material PFOA has been found at up to seven times the level considered safe in the USA – and among the highest known levels in Australia – at local treatment plants.

National guidelines have not been breached, but staff compared their own data with overseas metrics internally, and prevented the release of test results when asked by residents and journalists.

Premier David Crisafulli.Credit: Joe Ruckli

Speaking from an event at the Star Casino on Friday, the premier said he was yet to be fully briefed but would ensure residents were protected.

“If any guidelines have been breached, if any national standards have been compromised, there should be accountability,” he told journalists.

“Queenslanders will know about that.

“I just want to make sure that no Queenslanders have been put in harm’s way and if that has occurred, there will be accountability.”

Asked if the Minister for Water should have been briefed by Seqwater when the results were flagged internally, and testing was increased, Crisafulli said he was not aware if such a briefing had taken place.

In a statement, Seqwater said it had “not offered briefings to the Minister for Water specifically on PFAS detected in its sample testing because the levels recorded since 2018 have met Australian Drinking Water Guidelines”.

Jon Dee, a high-profile environmental campaigner and former Australian of the year for NSW, said the fact national guidelines were not breached did not justify the decision to withhold data from the public.

PFAS campaigner Jon Dee on the banks of Oxley Creek in Brisbane.Credit: Glenn Hunt/ The Sydney Morning Herald

He has called for an inquiry into the unusually high “forever chemical” levels in Brisbane treatment plants.

“They need to explain how this happened and how they’re going to ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” Dee said.

“This will rock the public’s trust in its drinking water. To restore that trust, Premier Crisafulli really needs to launch an independent inquiry into how Brisbane came to have such high levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in its drinking water over a two-year period.

“It’s a scandal that this drinking water contamination has been covered up … This has put people’s health at risk.”

Seqwater denied the suggestions.

“Seqwater reports to the Queensland water supply regulator on water quality and complies with all reporting obligations under relevant legislation,” its statement said.

“Seqwater strongly refutes any suggestion that it deliberately withholds information about its water quality testing, which includes testing for PFAS.

“Seqwater does and will continue to meet all ADWG requirements.”

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