A national coalition has been launched today to advocate on behalf of communities in Australia such as Williamtown dealing with the toxic fallout of per-and-poly-fluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS).
The Coalition Against PFAS (CAP) is a joint coalition of residents involved in class action lawsuits at Williamtown, Oakey and Katherine and will work to inform and advocate for impacted communities across Australia by highlighting the latest international news and research.
Coalition president and Williamtown resident Lindsay Clout said he hopes the coalition will provide support for those who are suffering.
"We have had contact with people from East Gippsland in Victoria; We have had contact with people from Western Australia; I have spoken with people from Bundaberg who just recently had this chemical discovered in their water supply.
"We want to get the information out there so these people do not have to go through the three or four years that we have gone through and Oakey has gone through in gathering all of this information so that we can understand the problem that we face," Mr Clout said.
The coalition is in talks with similar grassroots organisations in the United States who are experiencing similar circumstances which Mr Clout hopes will result in an international co-operation.
"People are recognising quite quickly through social media and the electronic media, who is out there and what we are doing. We have had contact from a couple of sources in the United States who are doing the same thing that we are doing.
“Our initial desire was to combine our resources to have a national front in Australia on this issue and what is unfolding today is that it is turning into an international front," Mr Clout said.
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| Signage erected by Williamtown residents. |
