The Department of Defence have refused to accept
responsibility for the contamination at Williamtown RAAF base for the second
time at a senate hearing yesterday.
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The main goal of the hearing conducted by Greens
Senator Lee Rhiannon and Labor Senator Sam Dastyari is not only to make Defence
accept responsibility, but also for them to start giving short-term compensation.
Senator Rhiannon says the hearing has also heard
a number of accounts from residents who have been affected since the outbreak
in September.
“We heard very disturbing evidence yesterday,
fisher representatives talking about some people considering suicide [and] the
uncertainty that hangs over people coming in Christmas knowing their properties
are worthless”.
How the surrounding areas were continuing to be
contaminated and how Defence was unable to control the contamination was
another subject of discussion at the hearing.
“It’s not clear why the contamination cannot be
contained on the base.
“The contamination at the BHP site was contained. Surely similar technology can be used here to
contain the problem”?
The same senate hearing also heard Hunter Water
had also known about the chemicals in question as early as 2009.
