Responsibility for regulation of industrial chemicals at each stage of their ‘lifecycle’ is shared across the Commonwealth, states and territories. The lifecycle of a chemical includes manufacture, import, export, use, disposal and destruction.
Australian governments have come together and agreed on how they should work together to respond to PFAS contamination. The Intergovernmental Agreement on a National Framework for Responding to PFAS Contamination supports consistent responses to PFAS contamination to protect the environment and, as a precaution, protect human health, while ensuring actions are effective, implementable, financially and logistically sustainable, proportionate to risk and support economic stability. The Intergovernmental Agreement and its appendices provide guidance to support all Australian Governments to respond to PFAS contamination in a coordinated way. The Intergovernmental Agreement was reviewed by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments during 2019.
Appendices under the Intergovernmental Agreement provide guidance on how coordination should be carried out.
- The PFAS Contamination Response Protocol - provides information on roles and responsibilities when responding to PFAS contamination.
- The PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP) - outlines consistent environmental management requirements that regulators across Australia have agreed on.
- The PFAS Information sharing, Communication and Engagement Guidelines - contains information on how governments should share information about PFAS.
PFAS Independent Review
On 5 December 2024, the Australian Government released the response to the Independent Review of land uses around key Defence bases impacted by per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination (the Review). The Government agreed, or agreed in-principle, to 18 of the 19 recommendations.
Further information on the Review can be found at the PFAS Independent Review page.
PFAS National Coordinating Body
The PFAS National Coordinating Body will improve the integration and coordination of management responses to PFAS across all levels of government to meet the needs of individual communities.
The PFAS National Coordinating Body will pilot initiatives in NSW in the first instance, including establishing a Williamtown Working Group, with other jurisdictions added over time. A Commonwealth Minister, and NSW Minister, will provide oversight of the PFAS National Coordinating Body.
Williamtown Working Group
The Williamtown Working Group will strengthen and improve the coordination of the PFAS response in the Williamtown community and progress practical actions at a local level.
The Williamtown Working Group will include membership from all levels of government, including the Commonwealth (Defence), New South Wales Government and local government. The Williamtown Working Group will include Williamtown community and First Nations membership.
Defence will provide Secretariat support to the PFAS National Coordinating Body and Williamtown Working Group for the initial 12 months.
The Secretariat can be contacted on pfas.secretariat@defence.gov.au.