[Peetwo]

Under BRAVO -

From Senate Hansard yesterday: Defence Facilities: Contamination

Senator McEWEN (South Australia—Opposition Whip in the Senate) (15:40): At the request of Senators Conroy and Rhiannon, I move:

That the following matters, in relation to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination, be referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee for inquiry and report:

(a) by 4 February 2016 on PFOS and PFOA contamination at RAAF Base Williamtown and Australian Defence Force facilities, with reference to:

(i) what contamination has occurred to the water, soil and any other natural or human made structures in the RAAF Base Williamtown and the surrounding environs,

(ii) the response of, and coordination between, the Commonwealth Government, including the Department of Defence and RAAF Base Williamtown management, and New South Wales authorities to PFOS/PFOA contamination, including when base employees, local residents and businesses, Port Stephens and Newcastle City Councils, and the New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were informed of the contamination,

(iii) the adequacy of consultation and coordination between the Commonwealth Government, the New South Wales Government, Port Stephens and Newcastle City Council, the Department of Defence and Australian Defence Force, affected local communities and businesses, and other interested stakeholders,

(iv) whether appropriate measures have been taken to ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of Australian military and civilian personnel at RAAF Base Williamtown,

(v) the adequacy of health advice and testing of defence and civilian personnel and members of the public exposed, or potentially exposed, to PFOS/PFOA in and around RAAF Base Williamtown,

(vi) the adequacy of Commonwealth and state and territory government environmental and human health standards and legislation, with specific reference to PFOS/PFOA contamination at RAAF Base Williamtown,

(vii) what progress has been made on remediation works at RAAF Base Williamtown, and the adequacy of measures to control further contamination,

(viii) what consideration has been undertaken of financial impacts and assistance to affected business and individuals, and

(ix) any other related matters; and

(b) by 30 April 2016 on PFOS and PFOA contamination on other Commonwealth, state and territory sites in Australia where firefighting foams containing PFOS and PFOA were used, with reference to:

(i) what Commonwealth, state and territory facilities have been identified as having PFOS/PFOA contamination, and what facilities may potentially still be identified as being contaminated,

(ii) the response of, and coordination between, the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, local governments, commercial entities and affected local communities,

(iii) what measures have been taken by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, to ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of people in close proximity to known affected sites,

(iv) the adequacy of public disclosure of information about PFOS/PFOA contamination,

(v) what consideration has been undertaken of financial impacts on affected businesses and individuals,

(vi) the adequacy of Commonwealth and state and territory government environmental and human health standards and legislation, with specific reference to PFOS/PFOA contamination,

(vii) what progress has been made on the remediation and the adequacy of measures to control further PFOS/PFOA contamination at affected Commonwealth, state and territory sites,

(viii) what investigation and assessment of contaminated sites and surrounding areas has occurred, and

(ix) any other related matters.

Question agreed to.

And also yesterday we had this from Thorny

Maybe we are getting some traction into the mess our airports have been allowed to descend into.
Alan Jones this AM asking some pointed questions about Bankstown.

For the benefit of those interested here is that segment off the AJ Breakfast show, courtesy of 2GB podcast:

Alan Jones - Keith Campbell, Bankstown Airport, 30 Nov 2015.

It is somewhat disappointing that the original, more general Senators Rhiannon/Conroy sub-paragraph (i) has not been kept:

(i) the adequacy of current legislation to enable the New South Wales EPA to respond to and regulate lands controlled and/or owned by a federal entity which would otherwise have the full jurisdiction of the New South Wales EPA if that same pollution event occurred on non-federally owned and controlled land; and

However there is not much dot joining to be made from this particular environmental contaminant issue to those mentioned in the Alan Jones segment. Even if there was never PFOS/PFOA fire retardant foams used at Bankstown Airport there is still much scope within this inquiry to bring to the attention the many other environmental/political issues - such as contaminated backfill on the floodplain & dodgy deals with developers etc..etc. 

I think it is now only a matter of time before this inquiry will expand to include the RRAT committee. After all Airservices Australia falls under the purview of the Senate RRAT Committee and guess who sits on the Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade Committee?

Committee Members

Chair
Senator Alex Gallacher

Australian Labor Party , SA

&..

Member
Senator David Fawcett

Liberal Party of Australia , SA

  
IMO there is definitely scope under BRAVO (in blue) for a huge can of potential glowing worms to be uncovered...
 

Lets just stop here and have a little think.
Once upon a time, way back when, a certain Murky Mandarin and another highly suspect bearded Beaker set up the terms and conditions for the disposal of Australia's airports.
Old Murky has managed to stay under the radar so to speak, Beaker on the other hand has displayed some incredible levels of incompetence recognized around the world, yet he's still in the job?

One could be forgiven for pondering, just what does he have on whom?

He's still in the job, despite the PELAIR debacle, despite MH 370, it beggars belief!!!
These two Numpies orchestrated and facilitated the sale of our Publically owned primary airports. Think a little bit, "negative gearing" that the lefties rail against. The primary leases are not dissimilar. In effect old Murky and his mate beaker, set up the most brilliant biggest TAX evasion rort in history, gifting a monopoly, tax free cash cow to McBank and its associates. That most ethical of banks always slides down the edge of the razor blade of legality. One side of the sharpest edge is legal, the other side aint. The trick is to stay on the edge. Legal, yup provided their lawyers and accountants keep it right on the edge, ethical??....Hmm?? Moral definitely not.
The secondary's were a whole different proposition,some companies were incorporated with a few government ministers as directors, the secondary airports, owned at that time by the Federal Airports commission were transferred to these companies.

BAL (Bankstown airport Limited) was one such company. BAL, consortium of companies and investors put together by McBank, immediately set about discouraging any form of aviation from developing at Bankstown airport. As it was illegal for a property developer to own an airport, BAL formed another company Mirivac, who's shareholders were mainly the shareholders of BAL, which WAS a development company, and shifted 1/3 of the airport on the Southern side of the airport to them as a sublease. Runway 18/36 was closed, despite the objection of airport users on SAFETY grounds, but of course our mates at CAsA found no safety case. Contaminated land fill was then dumped on the southern side of the airport, covering a flood plain, without any form of environmental study, other than that commissioned by the developers.
Corruption??? if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck????

...looks like a duck?? ..& glows like a duck?? Sorry Thorny couldn't help myself..


MTF...P2