Several Katherine residents expressed their upset on the assurances of their safety from PFAS chemicals given by experts at last night’s Defence update.
Andrew Smith received loud applause and even mute cheers after attacking speakers for their “spin job”.
Mr Smith accused the speakers of trying to conceal the truth of the dangers of PFAS contamination from the town’s residents.
He said the Defence and Health experts tried to “package PFAS up like a health food”.
Mr Smith said Defence and the Federal Government needed to “come to the party” and “fix the mess it had created”.
“I don’t feel calm and satisfied,” he said.
“You do a wonderful spin job.”
Another resident said she “did not have much confidence in the process”.
Another said she feared for the health of her children.
Dr P.J. Spafford said now the initial blood results had shown many Katherine residents had high levels of PFAS in their blood they were living “with the slender hope that it does not cause any health problems”.
He said many of his patients had become “financial prisoners” in the town because they could no longer sell their properties because of a local property price downturn.
“It is a violation of their human rights to imprison these people on the basis of economics,” he said.
Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
