MOTIONS › Defence Facilities: Chemical Contamination
Senator BURSTON (New South Wales) (17:06): I seek leave to make a short statement. The PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for one minute. Senator BURSTON: Almost two months I ago I wrote to the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Senator McGrath, for the government's response to an article titled 'Cabbage Tree Road cancer figures "mind-boggling"', published in the Newcastle Herald on 8 July 2017. The response from Senator McGrath was extremely disappointing, especially considering the revelations in that article that a 49th person with cancer had come forward, having lived in the red zone at Williamtown. Senator McGrath's response included the line: 'There is currently no consistent evidence that exposure to PFAS causes adverse human health effects.' One Nation have offered a number of solutions to the government for funding the work on remediation and voluntary buyouts, but they have fallen on deaf ears. We have been urging action on this matter since well before the last federal election, and we will continue to fight for the severely affected communities. One Nation strongly support this motion.