The Williamtown contamination crisis has become the battleground for Paterson's Liberal candidate Karen Howard and Labor Candidate Meryl Swanson, after the Coalition government pledged to spend part of $55 million dollars from the existing Defence budget on managing the chemical contamination.
The funding comes 2 weeks after Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Julie Bishop visiting the affected Williamtown zones.
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| Williamtown contamination zone. Photo courtesy of The Newcastle Herald. |
As part of the funding, the government will conduct an epidemiological study that will look at the health effects, causes and potential patterns of those exposed to elevated levels of PFOS and PFOA.
The package also includes voluntary blood testing for residents within the investigation zone as well as connecting Williamtown properties to town water.
A community liaison officer will also be appointed to help connect residents to allocated mental health services.
It comes after Labor's recent announcement of a $21 million action plan to address the contamination.
Meryl Swanson says it is pleasing to see the government have finally stepped up to the mark following Labor's lead on this.
"It's taken Labour to take the lead on this and finally they're [The Coalition] coming out at five minutes to midnight before the election."
The ALP have previously promised to fund blood tests, perform studies on the area and further financially support commercial fishers.
