Tamworth council calls on PFAS contamination funding from federal government

Tamworth Regional Council has called on the federal government to clean up its own mess and pay for remediation of contamination at the airport.

Tamworth Regional Airport has elevated levels of PFAS; a chemical found in a fire-fighting foam that has historically been used by the Australian Defence Force in training drills.

Tamworth mayor Col Murray said he wants to see the government provide funding dedicated to covering the cost of remediation in the upcoming federal budget, which will be announced in just over a week on Wednesday, May 9.

“In order to inform and protect residents, council has undertaken considerable expense to really investigate the extent and ramifications of the contamination,” Cr Murray said.

“We had deep discussions about it and we resolved to take steps to understand if there was an imminent risk, so we could process any threat to the community.

“To date, the government has made the community accept responsibility for covering the cost.

“At the moment it’s tangled up in state [government] agencies and local government, when really it’s a federal issue.

“The government should step in and make a hard commitment to do something.”

The PFAS contamination at Newcastle’s Williamtown RAAF base has severely impacted nearby residents, after local waterways and bores tested positive to the toxic chemical. Many properties near the base have been rendered worthless, while one family was found to have PFAS blood levels eleven times the Australian average.

However, the risk for potential exposure at Tamworth airport “appears to be low”. Council is carrying out further testing to determine the full extend of the contamination.

“We have taken action on our site and engaged a specialised consultant to conduct preliminary investigations on our behalf and we have been working closely with the EPA throughout the ongoing investigation,” Cr Murray said.

Council will raise the matter at the National General Assembly of Local Government in June.