Firefighters who worked or trained at the Country Fire Authority’s notorious Fiskville site will have access to a $57 million redress scheme after high rates of cancer among staff were linked to the premises.
The training facility near Ballan, about 95 kilometres west of Melbourne’s CBD, was permanently closed in 2015 after the long-term use of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl chemicals, known as PFAS, at the site.
The former Fiskville CFA training college.Credit:Eddie Jim
The redress scheme will open on September 5 for those who worked or trained at the site, lived near the facility or attended the Fiskville State School.
Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes apologised to the firefighters exposed to the contamination.
“Today is an important milestone as we announce much-needed support for those who have been affected by their time at Fiskville and acknowledge the harm caused to them and the community,” she said.
“Many are still dealing with the physical and mental effects of their time at Fiskville. Today is about acknowledging that service in the name of keeping Victorians safe and the severe consequences that came from that.”
Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn SymesCredit:Penny Stephens
Symes said the government anticipates as many as 1300 people may be eligible for the scheme.
Those affected can access up to $45,000 for their exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, with further payment if they contracted an illness due to their time at Fiskville.
The state government first committed to a redress scheme in May 2016, after a parliamentary inquiry found CFA management had allowed its members and their families to be exposed to toxic chemicals with known links to cancer and other illnesses.
Up to 87,000 people are thought to have been put at risk of exposure to the carcinogens at Fiskville during its operation between 1972 and 2015.
A 2015 Monash University study of 606 people who worked at the site between 1971 and 1999 identified 69 cancer cases that resulted in 16 deaths.
The redress scheme will include access to mental health and medical support, as well as non-financial compensation such as case management and counselling.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Fire Rescue Victoria’s acting deputy commissioner Mick Tisbury said it was an “emotional day” for firefighters and those affected in the nearby community.
“This was never about the money grab … it’s about acknowledging their story was heard,” he said.
“[Firefighters] came here to protect life, property and the environment, but there’s a dark stain on the fire service’s history in Victoria.
“This is about making sure this never happens again in the future. Those practices happening in the past were bad enough, they were malicious. But what was really, really bad was the cover-up.”
Each application to the redress scheme will examine individual circumstances, according to the state government.
The extent of participants’ exposure to PFAS and the seriousness of their illnesses will be considered in their applications. Those who apply to the scheme will not be restricted if pursuing other avenues of financial recompense, such as workers’ compensation.
The Department of Justice and Community Safety will manage the scheme independent of the CFA.
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