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Court proceedings have begun in the Federal Court of Australia, seeking reparations for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-related contamination across 28 Defence bases in Australia.
The Commonwealth is seeking over $2 billion in damages against 3M, the company responsible for manufacturing a firefighting repellent for defence sites known as aqueous film-forming foam that was found to contain PFAS.
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The action against 3M is the largest legal claim the Commonwealth has ever brought on and hopes to “recover significant costs taxpayers have carried for investigating, managing and remediating [PFAS] contamination”.
“3M withheld a range of information and misrepresented the effects of this substance,” Attorney General Michelle Rowland told reporters this morning.
“This included withholding 3M’s own environmental laboratory testing, which showed there were significant adverse environmental effects associated with the use of 3M firefighting foam.”
PFAS is a man-made substance that is known as “forever chemicals” due to its inability to break down in the environment and build up in the human body if exposed for extended periods of time.
It has historically been used in firefighting foam and repellents yet has been widely discontinued and phased out of Australian operations due to these concerns.
“I have visited communities right across Australia that have been affected by PFAS contamination, and they need action. That’s why the Commonwealth commenced this legal action today,” said Peter Khalil, Assistant Minister for Defence.
“These court proceedings are about recovering the significant costs Defence has and will continue to incur while investigating and managing the Defence Estate and supporting Australians affected by PFAS.
“Defence has spent over $1.3 billion on its PFAS response and continues to work closely with state and local authorities to support local communities near bases affected by PFAS, and that work will continue.”
The PFAS National Coordinating Body was established in September 2025 to strengthen the national response for PFAS contamination and management, with three defence bases acting as the working groups for the body.
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