Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, has slammed the Government’s inaction in response to the unfolding PFAS crisis in NSW water sources.
“With new Australian Drinking Water Guidelines about to be introduced, local water utilities have already identified three PFAS contaminations across the state – yet the Government has offered no solutions, despite knowing this was coming for months,” Ms Cooke said.
In September last year, following highly publicised PFAS contaminations on the Belubula River and at Greaves Creek and Medlow Dam in the Blue Mountains, the Coalition called for a special commission of inquiry into PFAS contamination of waterways and water storages. This would have provided stronger investigative powers than the parliamentary inquiry that was ultimately established with the support of the Government and the Greens.
On Wednesday, the upper house inquiry heard damning testimony from Dubbo Mayor Josh Black, who revealed that PFAS levels in one of Dubbo’s bores exceeded current guidelines, while another exceeded the proposed new guidelines.
“The Government has committed zero infrastructure funding to help local water utilities tackle PFAS in drinking water,” Ms Cooke said. “As Minister Jackson likes to say, the Safe and Secure Water Program is ‘fully allocated, though not exhausted’ until 2028. That means communities in crisis are being told to wait years before the Government even considers new priorities.
The Safe and Secure Water Program is effectively on ice.”
“Local councils, water utilities and residents need urgent infrastructure funding and a clear, coordinated response—not more delays and excuses.”