SENATE

Thursday, 13 October 2016 SENATE 95
ANZ, the Commonwealth Bank and NAB have all refused to offer new lending in the area known as the 'red
zone'—the area that has been marked out as severely contaminated. There is a risk associated with these properties
that the banks do not want to go near as they now have reduced value due to the high levels of contamination. So
this is huge. Imagine how we would feel if we went home this weekend and we found that that was the situation
for where we live—I guess most of us own our places—and then all of a sudden we could not get a loan and we
could not sell our property. This is extraordinary. Who has caused it? In this case it was the government.
Real estate agents in the area have confirmed that they are struggling to sell properties. If the Department of
Defence is responsible for the devaluation of the properties—and they are; we know that—then they are also
responsible for ensuring that the affected residents are compensated for those property devaluations as well as for
the loss of income, the health difficulties and the disruption that they have endured through no fault of their own.
Again, I want to underline, and I know I have said it but we need to keep saying it: the government has
admitted that they are responsible. The local people, through no fault of their own, are now in this incredible
situation—a situation of constant uncertainty. This is causing stress, anguish and, in many cases, depression. I
have been very concerned with what some people are saying to me about what they think that they might have to
do with their future. It is extremely alarming, and it goes back to this failure of government to deal with what is
happening.
It is the obligation of the Turnbull government to sort this out with the banks. This is precisely what a
government should do. They should put the public good first. The public good has been damaged here. They
should put the public good first, and, as the banks are part of the problem, they should be helping sort that out.
It is also the obligation of the government to compensate for the huge financial losses that the residents are
coping with. Again, that should be obvious. There was a clear recommendation from our Senate inquiry that the
government start working on this. But nearly a year later—nothing. It is also the obligation of the government to
provide free health tests to residents.
The government should be working with state agencies to remediate the contaminated land and water. It is
absolutely critical that the government sets out a clear timeline detailing its plans for remediation. That
remediation is critical for residents and also for workers at the base. The level of problems in this area really are
mounting as this goes on. I have had many shocks and surprises, both in listening to residents and in hearing how
the government is handling it. One was when I learnt that the government initially had no plans for remediation.
Now that is not nearly as extensive as it needs to be.
I feel that the coalition government is dodging this issue. I found out, when I first asked questions about this in
estimates last year, that the government has actually known about this for many years—certainly for much longer
than the one year that the local people have known about it. The Department of Defence have known about it for
years. International studies have been done. So it was in the literature. It had been reported. But again the local
people had been left in the dark.
I am pleased to be able to speak on this. Sadly, I think we will have to come back to this time and time again.
But the ball really is with the government. We know the problems banks have in ever doing the right thing by
people. That is why the government needs to address the issue of how the banks are operating, as well as to take
up their own responsibility to do health tests properly and not run these scam ways of doing them by saying, 'If
somebody goes and pays for the health tests then they can get the money back.' Many of these people do not have
that sort of cash, to be able to manage it in that way. So there is much that the government needs to do, and they
really need to get cracking.
Question agreed to.
Photography in the Senate
Senator HINCH (Victoria) (17:38): I ask leave to move a motion to vary the order relating to photography in
the chamber agreed to earlier today.
(Quorum formed)
The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT (Senator O'Sullivan): Is leave granted?
Senator WONG (South Australia—Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (17:41): I have not had an
opportunity to discuss this with Senator Hinch. We are reluctant to grant leave when we have not been advised of
this, as a matter of courtesy, ahead of this leave being sought. We would have considered it, but the Labor Party,
as I understand it, has not been advised of this. We would usually request that, if a senator is seeking to obtain
leave from the chamber to do so, we be given the courtesy of being advised of it so that we can have a position. So
we are disinclined to agree to it.
CHAMBER