Australia’s Commonwealth has launched legal action in the Federal Court against 3M Australia Pty Ltd and 3M Company, seeking to recover the cost of PFAS contamination at 28 Defence bases across the country. The case marks a direct bid to shift a bill that officials say has already run into the billions.
Assistant Minister for Defence Peter Khalil said Defence is seeking more than $2 billion in damages to recover past and future expenses tied to the historical storage and use of AFFF, the firefighting foam that contained PFAS for many years. He said Defence has already spent over $1.3 billion on its PFAS response and will keep working with state and local authorities to support communities near affected bases. Michelle Rowland said the government is committed to holding 3M to account for the economic and environmental harms associated with PFAS contamination, and said the Commonwealth had started the case to pursue accountability through the court and recover costs borne in responding to contamination at Defence bases.
PFAS chemicals were contained in legacy firefighting foams used on Defence sites for many years, but those foams are no longer used in Australia because of concerns about environmental contamination. The Commonwealth says the case is aimed at recovering significant costs taxpayers have carried for investigating, managing and remediating contamination resulting from 3M’s AFFF containing PFAS, while Defence says it continues to use responsible methods to manage and clean up contaminated environments on and around its bases.
The legal action lands as the government tries to turn years of cleanup spending into a legal claim with a clear target. That matters because the number is not small: more than $2 billion in damages sought, against a response that has already cost more than $1.3 billion and is still continuing. In Australia, PFAS has become one of the country’s most expensive environmental problems, and the Commonwealth is now asking a court to decide who should carry the burden.
Khalil said he has visited communities across Australia affected by PFAS contamination and that they need action, adding that the proceedings are about recovering the significant costs Defence has and will continue to incur while investigating and managing the Defence Estate and supporting Australians affected by PFAS. For people living near the bases, the case does not end the contamination problem. It only changes the forum in which the fight over the bill is being waged.
