An Auditor General’s report has found two state government departments have dropped the ball in identifying contaminated sites since 2012.
Auditor General Caroline Spencer found the Department of Planning, Land and Heritage stopped identifying contaminated sites in 2012.
The report also found the department failed to notify the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, which is agency responsible overseeing for all contaminated sites.
The Auditor General found DWER were never followed up to find out why reports were not being received by DPLH.
Shadow minister for environment and South West MLC Steve Thomas said the auditor general’s report was the most scathing report he had ever seen on departmental performance.
Dr Thomas said the report highlighted how government departments tasked with protecting the community - were not protecting the community.
“It is staggering to think that is where it got to and the people tasked with the job of examining sites just stopped with 500 to go, six years ago,” he said.
“The people tasked with the job to oversee that process did not even realise, it is just astounding.”
The report highlighted it may take 50 years for DPLH to examine the remaining 500 sites in WA to find out if they were contaminated.
Dr Thomas said there was a lack of action and planning around PFAS and groundwater contamination, which has affected 18 residential properties in Vasse.
“DWER is ultimately responsible for both of those things, if you were a resident in Busselton it would be hard to have faith in a department whose job it is to protect you,” he said.
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For 18 property owners in Vasse who were told stop using their groundwater because it had been contaminated from landfill run off, which originated from an old unlined landfill, it’s of little consolation.
The landfill was located at the Busselton Waste Facility on Rendezvous Road which falls under the management of local government.
PFAS, arsenic, nickel, manganese, sulfate, benzene, chlorinated hydrocarbons including solvents and other products were found in the groundwater potentially posing a risk to human health and the environment.
A DPLH spokesperson said they were responsible for contamination on unallocated Crown land and unmanaged reserves. The spokesperson did not respond to questions on what their next steps would be.
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City of Busselton mayor Grant Henley said it was not expected this report would have any impact on the city’s investigations or remediation options.
Mr Henley said having said that the city would welcome any further investigations and action by the federal and state governments in relation to legacy contamination issues.
The federal government is also undertaking a parliamentary inquiry to examine its management of PFAS contamination in and around Australian defence bases.
“This could facilitate a better understanding and awareness of the issues which the city has to deal with,” he said.
“Based on information currently available indications are that by mid-2019 the city should have the information necessary to consider long term solutions.
“However this timeframe is subject to the outcome of latest test results (which is due by end July 2018) and subsequent requirements and directions which the DWER may issue pursuant to these test results.”
Mr Henley said in dealing with the contamination issues associated with the former Busselton landfill site the city has to comply with regulatory requirements under the Contaminated Sites Act.
He said the city also needed to find and implement acceptable long term solutions to mitigate and remediate the impacts on affected landowners.
“Viable long term mitigation and remediation solutions can only be identified once the nature and extent of the contamination has been determined and once the city has obtained reliable future extrapolation of the contamination plume.”
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The Auditor General Caroline Spencer found that more needs to be done to identify and mitigate potential contamination on the WA’s unallocated Crown land and unmanaged reserves.
Ms Spencer said the report focused on the management of contamination on unallocated Crown land and unmanaged reserves, an area covering nearly 38 per cent of WA.
“WA’s Contaminated Sites Act 2003 was introduced to protect human health, the environment and environmental values,’ she said.
“While some progress has been made in response to the Act, DPLH still faces a significant task to assess, report and effectively manage remaining contamination risks on Crown land.
“Having a good understanding of the risks is vital in targeting remediation efforts to address the complexities of contamination.
“I trust the recommendations of this report will help to refocus efforts.”
The Minister for Planning and Lands Rita Saffioti did not respond to questions.
The Auditor General’s report, Management of Crown Land Site Contamination is available on the Office of the Auditor General website at audit.wa.gov.au.
