Thursday, 7 March 2024

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Williams Landing planning

Moira DEEMING (Western Metropolitan) (12:01): (453) My question is for the Minister for Planning. Following the closure of a RAAF airfield in 1996, much of the land was sold and redeveloped into the residential precinct now known as Williams Landing, where thousands of families now live. The 2022 RAAF PFAS management area plan for the site indicates that there is a high likelihood of residual PFAS compounds in that soil due to the firefighting activities that took place there. The economic, environmental and health risks arising from PFAS contamination have been known since 2017, and as parts of Williams Landing were completed in 2018, my question is: did the government know about and take every possible precaution prior to allowing the redevelopment of this toxic site into residential housing so as to avoid the risk of PFAS adversely impacting the health and safety of the residents and the financial value of their homes?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:02): Thank you, Mrs Deeming, for that question. I will absolutely pass that on to the Minister for Planning. As I think we have discussed a couple of times in this chamber, there may well be an overlap with the Minister for Environment. But in the context of a response being provided to you under the standing orders, why don’t we see if we can actually get a combined response that addresses the PFAS/PFOS issue and the planning rezoning issue concurrently.

Moira DEEMING (Western Metropolitan) (12:03): I appreciate it; Thank you very much. My supplementary is: could the Minister for Planning please provide information as to who made the decisions regarding any investigations undertaken in the rezoning of that land to ensure that it was suitable for a residential development, and if not, who made the decision that those investigations were not necessary?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:03): Mrs Deeming, that one does fall more squarely, I think, within the remit of the Minister for Planning, so to that end I will seek an answer in accordance with the standing orders.