It's the beginning of the end of a five year battle by residents living near the Williamtown RAAF base to address the health and environmental impacts from chemicals which leeched into groundwater from firefighting foam used for many years at the defence facility.
Late on Wednesday night an in-principal agreement was reached and a confidential settlement was being finalised for three Federal Court class actions involving residents from Williamtown in NSW, Oakey in Queensland and Katherine in the Northern Territory. It comes after their properties were rendered worthless and unproductive by the contamination.
The breakthrough followed two days of intense negotiations during mediation talks between legal counsel for the residents and the Defence Department.
The talks were being viewed as the last opportunity to reach a settlement before the class actions were to be heard in the Federal Court in April and follows previous unsuccessful attempts where the parties could not reach agreement.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds and Defence Personnel Minister Darren Chester released a joint statement on Wednesday night say the Government remains committed to engaging with those impacted by PFAS contamination.
"Reaching a settlement is not the end of Defence's engagement in these communities, however, it does represent an important milestone on what has been a difficult journey for many people over the past few years." they said.
Paterson Mp Meryl Swanson has also welcomed the breakthrough, congratulating the community after their hard-fought battle for compensation.
"I just felt so proud of my community and what they've been through. They've been to hell and back - they've been so courageous, they've been smart, and this agreement last night is the first step in what has been a terrible journey for them." she said.
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| One of many signs erected by frustrated residents impacted by the PFAS contamination |
