On 30 November 2015, the Senate referred the following matter to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee for inquiry and report:
Contamination of Australian Defence Force facilities (Part A) reporting by 4 February 2016, and contamination of other sites using firefighting foams (Part B) reporting by 30 April 2016. On 17 March 2016, the Senate extended the reporting date for the inquiry (Part B) to 11 May 2016.
In terms of setting expectations, the committee emphasises that it is not in a position to resolve individual disputes or settle complaints regarding possible PFOS or PFOA contamination. Please note that all documents sent to the inquiry become committee documents on receipt, and are only made public following a decision of the committee. Material which is not relevant to the inquiry’s terms of reference or which reflects adversely on others may not be accepted or published by the committee. If you have any questions about your submission please contact the committee secretariat.
The closing date for submissions is 14 December 2015 for Part A and 5 February 2016 for Part B.
The Department of Defence has provided the following contact details for persons who may have queries regarding claims of compensation related to the inquiry.
Defence Special Counsel
Defence Legal
Department of Defence
CP2 – 4 – 061
PO Box 7911 Canberra BC ACT 2610
Email: dl.specialcounsel@defence.gov.au