Forever chemicals in water report leaves many unanswered questions

18-05-2025

The dangers of 'forever chemicals', known as PFAS, have been known for more than a quarter of a century, yet NSW water authorities could not join the dots to protect our water supplies.
We now know for certain that some Blue Mountains residents may have been drinking water with elevated levels of the cancer-causing chemical for up to 32 years.
Further, authorities disconnected Medlow Dam and Greaves Creek Dam from the water supply only last August after initially claiming there were no 'no known PFAS hotspots in the catchment' in the wake of a damning Herald investigation.
Yet concerns about PFAS in firefighting material were voiced in 1998. The world's scientific community has been waving red flags since, and stringent new drinking limits are under consideration in Australia.
Now an initial report prepared for WaterNSW by engineering firm Jacobs Group confirmed that the contamination could have occurred as early as 1992 when a petrol tanker crashed on the Great Western Highway near Medlow Bath. The WaterNSW report also suggests a 2002 vehicle crash and the Medlow Bath Rural Fire Brigade Station could be potential sources of the contamination.
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The findings back up the work of Carrie Fellner, our investigative journalist who has covered the impact of the chemicals for more than 12 years. In August 2024, she reported Sydney Water confirmed forever chemicals had been detected across drinking water supplies. A week or so later, Sydney Water quietly closed a feeder dam in the Blue Mountains. She revealed this month the chemicals had been discovered in the Jamieson Reservoir on Cousins Lane at Leura and the Shipley Reservoir, near Blackheath.
Following the initial report, the EPA has recommended a detailed site investigation should be undertaken consistent with the National Environment Protection Measure 1999. While the disconnections remain, NSW Health and Sydney Water have said drinking water in the Blue Mountains meets existing Australian drinking water guidelines and is safe to drink. They give this assurance knowing full well that new drinking water standards are on the horizon that will not be so generous.
Jon Dee, convener of the local STOP PFAS action group and a former Australian of the Year for his environmental work including co-founding Planet Ark in the 1990s, said the report left key questions unanswered. 'They still cannot tell us when the PFAS contamination of our drinking water began,' Dee said. 'They still cannot tell us how high the PFAS levels have been in the tap water that we've been drinking. They still can't tell us how long we've been drinking toxic tap water, and yet they insist that our tap water has been safe.'

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New $2 billion plan to shift kids with autism or development delays off NDIS could be ‘generational reform'

7NEWS

5 hours ago

7NEWS

New $2 billion plan to shift kids with autism or development delays off NDIS could be ‘generational reform'

Children with autism who rely on the NDIS for support will be diverted to a new program, touted by disability groups as a 'once-in-a-generation' reform. Disability Minister Mark Butler used a speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday to say the NDIS was not the right fit for the growing number of children on the autism spectrum or with developmental delays. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Government plans to shake up disability support for children. A separate program called Thriving Kids will be set up to focus on those children previously covered by the NDIS. It will begin rolling out from July 2026 and be fully implemented by July 2027. Children with autism on the NDIS would not be steered from the scheme until supports were fully rolled out, the minister said. 'I know this will be hard for some parents to hear and I don't say it lightly,' Butler said in the speech. 'We need as a matter of some urgency to create a better system that will enable our children to thrive. 'Diverting this group of kids over time from the NDIS is an important element of making the scheme sustainable and returning it to its original intent.' 'Once-in-a-generation change' Medicare items for occupational therapy, speech pathology and psychosocial therapy would be considered for the program, including a bulk-billed check-up for three-year-olds, Butler said. The federal government would start by making a $2 billion contribution, matched by states and territories. Early intervention strategies were key for ensuring children received the right support, Autism Awareness chief executive Nicole Rogerson said. '(Thriving Kids) potentially has the opportunity to be a once-in-a-generation change in how we look at developmental pediatrics,' she said. She said what Butler was doing was 'pretty rare for a politician' because he was 'owning what the problem is'. Rogerson told 7NEWS: 'The structural problem has become so big that children with any kind of developmental delay are now getting a label of autism, in order to get assistance from the NDIS and that's inflated the numbers.' Ensuring the program was in place before children were moved from the scheme was reassuring, People with Disability acting chief executive Megan Spindler-Smith said. 'That terrifies me' Since the announcement, many families have shared their concern. Australian mum Kaili Metani's daughters live with autism and she said the NDIS saved their lives. 'My youngest daughter was told when she was diagnosed that she would never walk or talk and it's only because of therapy that she is able to,' she told 7NEWS. She feared the new program, if not implemented correctly, would lead to a 'generation who are unsupported, and that terrifies me'. The minister said while one in 50 people had a significant disability which would be covered by the NDIS, one in five young children were on the autism spectrum or had a developmental delay. Parents had little choice but to put their children with autism on a scheme designed for permanent disability, Butler said. 'Families who were looking for additional supports in mainstream services can't find them because they largely don't exist anymore and in that, all governments have failed them,' he said. Butler said the changes would help to bring down the cost of the NDIS, with taxpayers set to fork out more than $52 billion for the scheme in 2025/26. Laws passed in 2024 put in place a cap on spending growth of eight per cent per year. 'Even under that scenario, the NDIS is still forecast to cost $105 billion and will increase its share of GDP by 0.5 per cent over the coming decade,' Butler said. 'That's the equivalent of growth in Medicare, defence and aged care spending combined — measured as a share of GDP.' The minister said the existing level of growth was unsustainable and a cap of between five and six per cent would be more effective. 'After we achieve our current target, a further wave of reform will be needed to get growth down to a more sustainable position,' he said. 'There's no significant change in disability prevalence in the community and the scheme is now fully rolled out. So growth should really reflect unit price inflation plus growth in Australia's population.' Autism peak body Aspect said families needed the right level of support. 'Given the number of autistic children we support through our schools and therapy programs, families must have confidence there will be continuity of supports, real choice and control, and no gaps during the transition,' chief executive Jacqui Borland said