Mastodawn

#Australia - #KatherineNT residents say potential damages from #PFAS firefighting foam case should pay for further 'recompense'

by James Elton, 1 June, 2026

Excerpt: "PFASContamination in Katherine was first announced by Defence in 2016 — the result of decades of use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at #Tindal, which sits above a large and interconnected #aquifer.

"In the immediate aftermath, Katherine's town pool was closed and Defence trucked in bottled water.

"Commonwealth to sue the manufacturer of a firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals that contaminated 28 #DefenceForce bases across Australia.

"A class action, settled in 2020, resulted in Defence paying $92.5 million to Katherine home owners and businesses to compensate for lost property value, as part of a broader class action that also included Williamtown in NSW and Oakey in Queensland.

"Today, Katherine's town drinking water supply is thoroughly treated using a specialised plant to keep PFAS levels below minimum thresholds.

"But residents with bores in the contamination zone are still advised not to drink their groundwater or eat eggs from chickens that drink water from the bores.

"A 2018 health assessment commissioned by Defence also found there was an 'elevated risk' for anyone who ate fish caught in the #KatherineRiver on a regular basis, defined as one fish per week.

"A Senate inquiry into the issue last year heard evidence that assessment had affected #Aboriginal people in the region, who had historically eaten large quantities and varieties of fish and crustaceans from the river."

#3MKnew #ForeverChemicals #PFAS #FirefightingFoam #FirstNations #KatherineNT #IndigenousAustralians #NorthernTerritory #WilliamtownNSW #OakeyQueensland #WaterIsLife #AusPol #TraditionalDiets #TraditionalFoodSources

Katherine PFAS victims welcome government bid to hold 3M 'to account'

Residents in Katherine have welcomed a $2 billion lawsuit over PFAS contamination in the town, saying "it's about time we started holding large corporations to account".