Senator Larissa Waters Questions on Leaded AvGas Use – LEAD Action News Vol 23 No 1

Senator Larissa Waters Questions re Leaded AvGas

(TRANSCRIPT)

[See a full list of all the Senate Estimates Committee

segment videos that Brisbane Flight Path Community

Alliance (BFPCA) - People before planes community

group - have uploaded to YouTube, at

https://bfpca.org.au/estimates/ - Screenshot at left is of

Senator Larissa Waters]

Introduction to Senate Estimates by BFPCA from

https://bfpca.org.au/estimates/

Estimates of government expenditure are

referred to Senate committees as part of the

annual budget cycle. This opportunity to

examine the operations of government plays

a key role in the parliamentary scrutiny of

the executive. One of the most significant features of the procedure for examining

estimates is the opportunity that senators have to question officers of the public service

directly. BFPCA has engaged the Australian Parliament’s Senate Estimates process to

hold the government to account for Brisbane Airport’s excessive noise pollution

experienced by Brisbane residents.

BFPCA is grateful to the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and

Transport for asking the following questions. BFPCA also thanks the offices of various

Senators named below for their support in tabling these questions.

[TRANSCRIPTS downloaded from Proof Committee Hansard, Monday, 24 Feb 2025,

CANBERRA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAhOBdx_FXQ and corrected/edited

together and screenshots and data tables (referred to by Senator Waters) added in by Elizabeth

O’Brien, The LEAD Group Inc charity]

Additional Estimates 2024 / 2025: Department // Sen. Waters re lead-based

AvGas pollution

Transcript of video recording: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications

and the Arts // Senator Larissa Waters re lead-based AvGas pollution; hearing date: 24 Feb 2025.

[Note from the Australian Parliament House website -

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Rural_and_Regional_Affairs_and_Transport

The Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committees cover the following portfolios: Agriculture, Fisheries

and Forestry, and Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (Infrastructure,

Transport and Regional Development functions only).]

Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee

Greens Senator Larissa WATERS: Just moving quickly to the health impacts of aircraft usage, and

again staying in Brisbane, Acacia Ridge State School is right next to Archerfield Airport in Brissie

[Editor’s note: short name for Brisbane, pronounced “Brizzie”]. Given the known environmental

hazards of leaded aviation fuel, especially on young children, what steps has the department

[Editor’s note: as at June 2025, that’s the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional

Development, Communications, Sports and the Arts, and this is what is meant by “department” for

the rest of this transcript] taken to ensure compliance with soil and air pollution standards around

airports used by lead-based AvGas planes?

Public Service Officer Ms Sarah Nattey: I think what we would suggest is that where there are

known environmental impacts, that when they're… and it would depend what they are and who

would deal with them, in the Commonwealth government, so some of the some of the impacts that

you're suggesting Senator, such as lead, may or may not be related to Aviation gas, and there would

need to be some testing and validation of that data before such time as it was presented to the

government for any future action.

Screenshot from video:

Public Service Officers

responding to Senator

Waters questions,

including Front Row,

2nd from L: Ms Sarah

Nattey, 3rd from L: Mr

R Wood

Senator Larissa

WATERS: okay

sorry you're saying

leaded aviation fuel

isn't problematic?

Ms Nattey: I'm saying it's only one of the things that might contribute to having lead in a water

supply.

Senator WATERS: Yes, okay, but are you looking at what bit you are in charge of and ensuring

that your soil testing and so forth—is that you - who does that?

Ms Nattey: Yes. So, there is a program to test for PFAS contamination at 37 airports across the

country, where there is reason to believe that PFAS contaminants exist as a result of the

Commonwealth government having interest in those sites in the past.

Senator WATERS: Yes. Do you test for anything else?

Ms Nattey: At this stage, we're not testing for anything else Senator.

Senator WATERS: Who is responsible for enforcing environmental protections under the Airports

Act and the Airports (Environment Protection) Regulations?

Public Service Officer Mr R Wood: Senator, we are [responsible], on the airport site. Effectively,

the limits of the Airports Act are largely for the airport site, but I think my colleagues will be able to

answer in more detail. Just going back to the previous line of questioning around AvGas, fuel

standards or fuel quality issues are the responsibility of other agencies. I'm not sure if it's the

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water [DCCEEW] or the Department

of Industry, Science and Resources. It's probably DCCEEW now.

Senator WATERS: Okay. So, the interaction of that responsibility, which you rightly say, would

normally be the environment department [DCCEEW], and that you're responsible for airports under

the Airports Act and the Airports (Environment Protection) Regs, so who would be in charge of

ensuring that the airport is complying with soil and air pollution standards? Would that be you or

the environment department?

Ms Nattey: I'll ask Mrs Wright to answer your question.

Assistant Secretary, Airport Environment, Mrs Victoria “Torey” Wright: Yes, that is something the

department is responsible for.

Screenshot from video:

Public Service Officers

responding to Senator

Waters questions,

including Front Row, L

to R: Mrs Victoria

Wright; Ms Sarah

Nattey, Mr R Wood.

Senator WATERS:

Your department?

Mrs Wright: Our

department. My branch is, essentially, the environmental regulator of leased federal airports under

the Airports Act and the Airports (Environment Protection) Regulations. We have a network of

regulatory officers that oversee 19 airports under that legislative framework.

Senator WATERS: Okay. So, what steps have you and your 19 [airports] people or perhaps some

other organ of the department taken to ensure compliance with soil and air pollution standards

around airports used by lead based AvGas planes?

Mrs Wright: Senator, that particular issue is not one that has been brought to our regulator's

attention at that airport [Archerfield Airport, Brisbane]. If there is a need to do testing, the

requirements are set out under our regulations for how that would be done, which is in accordance

with national standards. The National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination)

Measure—things like that—apply. Our regulators would require that of the airport. As the

environmental manager they are the responsible entity under our regulations for making sure that

said testing would occur, and that information would feed through to our regulators to make sure

that that's being done in accordance—

Senator WATERS: And how could that process be commenced, if, say, parents of kids at the

Acacia Ridge School write to you and ask that that happen, given that they're worried about their

children?

Mrs Wright: By all means that correspondence can come in our direction. If there is a signal that

there is a problem, our regulators would look at the information that might already exist and, if

needed, direct the airport to take said action.

Senator WATERS: Okay. I'm just trying to get at what you would consider a signal that there is a

problem, so that the community can know what to do to start that process.

Mrs Wright: Sure. That information can be fed to us through correspondence. That is one way that

a flag can be raised. Another way would be if the airport had, through its routine monitoring and

testing of the airport, which it does, had identified an exceedance or exceedances of a particular

contaminant that's listed under our regulations. They would identify that through the normal

channels to us as well.

Senator WATERS: How frequently do those routine tests get done?

Mrs Wright: For most airports I think routine soil and surface water and groundwater monitoring is

done seasonally—essentially quarterly. That information is fed through to our regulators.

Senator WATERS: Is that data published anywhere?

Mrs Wright: It is usually in the airport environment report that's provided to us, as the regulator,

under the Airports Act requirements. It is not routine for those reports to be made publicly

available. That's not a requirement under our legislation, but the airports are open to publish that

themselves.

Senator WATERS: Okay. But if there was an exceedance, the department would notice and do

something, one would hope.

Mrs Wright: That's correct.

Senator WATERS: Is it correct that each airport is required to maintain the position of airport

environment officer, who's responsible for doing that soil, air and water pollution monitoring,

ensuring compliance and reporting to the department on the findings of those assessments?

Mrs Wright: Each airport has assigned a regulator. That's an Airport Environment Officer [AEO]

that is an employee of our department, and it is a requirement under head lease agreements with the

airports that that regulatory oversight is provided by that position.

Senator WATERS: What data have those AEOs for both Brisbane Airport and Archerfield Airport

reported to the department in the last 24 months?

Mrs Wright: I don't have that information available at the moment Senator.

Senator WATERS: Okay. Could you take on notice please: I'd like full copies of all the AEO

reports and the datasets, including whether any soil testing was performed and what the results

were. Could you provide that on notice, please?

Mrs Wright: I will see what we have, yes. I'm not sure of the level of detail I can provide to you.

There are restrictions under legislation as to what information can be shared by regulators with

other parties. So I'll take that on notice.

Senator WATERS: Okay. Well, I reckon if they want to take on the investigative powers of the

Senate then that's probably a bigger fight than you or I. But they should be aware that when we ask

for stuff we kind of like to be able to see it.

Mrs Wright: Agreed. Yes.

Senator WATERS: Thank you. According to the Australian Petroleum Statistics [see data tables

below from https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-data/australian-petroleum-statistics ], over 70

million litres of AvGas were sold in 2024 in Australia, resulting in the release of over 40 tonnes of

lead into the environment, primarily around airports. What actions has the department undertaken to

address the release of 40 tonnes of lead into the environment from AvGas sales reported just in

2024?

Australian Petroleum Statistics - Imports of petroleum products - Aviation Gasoline 2024

Monthly AvGas (Aviation Gasoline) and other Imports (in ML) in to Australia, for the twelve months of 2024

from https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-data/australian-petroleum-statistics {slide 10 of 19) by the

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), Australia.

AvGas / Aviation Gasoline Imports by Month in 2024 into Australia, in ML

Jan 2024

4.6

Feb 2024

5.6

Mar 2024

5.3

Apr 2024

6.6

May 2024

5.7

Jun 2024

6.6

Jul 2024

6.6

Aug 2024

5.6

Sep 2024

6.2

Oct 2024

6.9

Nov 2024

5.9

Dec 2024

ANNUAL TOTAL

70.6

[end of data table inserted by The LEAD Group into this corrected/edited transcript]

Ms Nattey: I'm not aware that we have specifically addressed anything relating to the release of

AvGas, Senator.

Senator WATERS: Are 40 tonnes of lead not a concern?

Ms Nattey: I didn't say it wasn't a concern. I said I didn't think that we had done anything

specifically to address that issue Senator.

Senator WATERS: If you're concerned, why aren't you doing something?

Mr R Wood: Senator, I think this goes to the point I made earlier that issues to do with fuel quality

are regulated by other agencies.

Senator WATERS: Okay. Lastly, how many assessments of soil contamination related to lead

emissions have been conducted under regulation 6.07 of the Airports (Environment Protection)

Regs, and what were the findings?

Mrs Wright: Senator, I'm not aware of testing of that nature having been done at those airports.

Senator WATERS: Okay. None. Alright. And are there any ongoing investigations into breaches of

environmental standards concerning lead pollution around any Australian airport?

Mrs Wright: Not that I'm aware Senator.

Senator WATERS: But you are checking, and you're not investigating, because you think

everything's fine, even though you're not looking at the 40 tonnes of lead. I'm a bit confused.

Mrs Wright: So lead is a listed contaminant under the Airports (Environment Protection)

Regulations. The limits of those regulations do not extend to the fuel that we're talking about today.

Senator WATERS: Oh, so you look at lead, but not if it's come from AvGas?

Mrs Wright: That's correct Senator.

Senator WATERS: Who made that silly rule?

Mrs Wright: I don't know that Senator.

Senator WATERS: How would we go about… Who writes the rules that say that you don’t…? It’s

just a reg, is it? We might take that up with the—

Mrs Wright: So the Airports (Environment Protection) Regulations 1997 is, as the name suggests,

an old piece of legislation. The schedules attached to those regulations have contaminants listed for

air, noise, water and soil. Lead is listed as a contaminant under those schedules. The scope of what

we regulate under those regulations is defined elsewhere in the regulations but does not extend to

aviation fuels.

Senator WATERS: Thank you. We'll take that up with the powers that be. Thanks for your help.

Thank you chair [Editor’s note: CHAIR of the Committee is Senator McKenzie.]