Published on September 12, 2025
On Thursday, 18 September 2025, Airservices Australia will look earlier nan Parliamentary Standing Committee connected Public Works for a nationalist proceeding successful Rockhampton, Queensland. This proceeding will analyse 2 important projects presently nether enquiry by nan Committee: PFAS Remediation of nan Former Fire Training Ground astatine Rockhampton Airport and nan Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Services NexGen Project for nan End-of-Life Facilities Upgrades – Phase 1A. These projects are important to ensuring continued information and biology compliance successful aviation infrastructure and operations.
The proceeding offers nan Committee an opportunity to prosecute pinch Airservices Australia straight and to summation a deeper knowing of nan projected works. Mr. Tony Zappia MP, Chair of nan Committee, expressed his anticipation for conducting nan first distant hearing of this Parliament. The nationalist proceeding will beryllium an basal measurement successful reviewing really Commonwealth backing is being allocated and spent connected nan ground, specifically successful Rockhampton Airport.
The PFAS Remediation Project astatine Rockhampton Airport
The PFAS Remediation Project focuses connected addressing contamination from Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) astatine nan Former Firefighting Training Ground (FFTG) astatine Rockhampton Airport, Queensland. This contamination resulted from humanities firefighting operations conducted astatine nan site. The task involves a broad biology remediation scheme to negociate and mitigate nan harmful effects of PFAS, which person been identified arsenic environmental hazards.
The full estimated costs of nan PFAS remediation task is $24.975 million. The extremity of nan task is to remediate nan tract and reconstruct it to a authorities that meets biology information standards, ensuring that it remains safe for early use. The PFAS contamination is simply a superior rumor that requires timely and effective involution to forestall immoderate further ecological harm and protect section communities.
The NexGen Project: Upgrades to Critical Aviation Rescue Infrastructure
The 2nd task nether reappraisal by nan Parliamentary Standing Committee is nan NexGen Project, which involves nan end-of-life upgrades of aviation rescue occurrence fighting facilities astatine various sites crossed Queensland and Victoria. The projected useful nether Phase 1A will reside cardinal areas of infrastructure and operational requirements to support regulatory compliance and operational ratio successful aviation safety.
The NexGen Project will see nan rebuilding of 3 end-of-life facilities astatine Cairns, Rockhampton, and Mackay. In addition, insignificant upgrades will beryllium conducted astatine 3 different sites: Gladstone, Sunshine Coast, and nan Melbourne Learning Academy. The upgrades will attraction connected ensuring these sites stay state-of-the-art and tin of supporting firefighting and rescue operations successful statement pinch Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations.
One of nan captious aspects of nan task will beryllium nan replacement of Ultra Large Fire Vehicles and nan building of cold drill grounds that are basal for training purposes. The wide costs of nan projected useful for nan NexGen Project is estimated astatine $163.4 million. These updates are captious for maintaining workforce capability and ensuring that unit are decently trained and equipped to grip emergencies astatine Australian airports.
Public Hearing Details and Participation
The public hearing is group to return spot astatine Apartments connected Palmer, Conference Room, located astatine 5 Palmer Street, Rockhampton. The schedule for nan proceeding is arsenic follows:
- 9:20 americium – 10:20 americium (AEST): Discussion of nan PFAS Remediation Project
- 10:50 americium – 11:30 americium (AEST): Discussion of nan NexGen Project and its upgrades
For those incapable to be nan proceeding successful person, it will beryllium broadcast unrecorded connected nan Australian Parliament House website astatine aph.gov.au/live. Members of nan nationalist are encouraged to perceive to nan proceedings aliases be successful personification to perceive from relevant officers from Airservices Australia and Ms. Chris Stasch, a local landholder progressive successful nan project.
Ensuring Environmental Responsibility and Safety successful Aviation
The nationalist proceeding highlights nan committedness of Airservices Australia to ensuring nan safety and sustainability of Australian aviation infrastructure. The PFAS remediation is simply a captious measurement successful mitigating nan biology effect of humanities activities, while nan NexGen Project seeks to modernize and heighten nan accommodation that are important to aviation rescue and firefighting operations. These projects align pinch nationalist efforts to amended aviation information standards while maintaining biology integrity.
The Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Services plays a important domiciled successful ensuring information astatine airports crossed nan country, and nan upgrades projected successful nan NexGen Project will lend to improving some nan infrastructure and nan training capabilities required to meet future demands. Similarly, nan PFAS Remediation Project serves to reside environmental concerns, ensuring that early operations astatine Rockhampton Airport tin proceed without compromising information aliases biology standards.
Looking Forward: Community Engagement and Future Progress
The Parliamentary Standing Committee connected Public Works is expected to reappraisal nan proposals thoroughly during nan public hearing and supply recommendations based connected nan expressions of interest submitted by Airservices Australia. The task not only involves important method and operational aspects but besides underscores nan important effect of environmental sustainability and safety successful Australia’s aviation sector.
Airservices Australia has committed to transparent nationalist engagement and collaboration pinch section stakeholders, ensuring that nan projects bespeak nan needs and expectations of nan organization while adhering to biology and information standards. The nationalist proceeding is an basal measurement successful ensuring accountability successful really nationalist costs are allocated and spent successful nan improvement of Australia’s aviation infrastructure.
Conclusion: Strengthening Australia’s Aviation Infrastructure
The PFAS Remediation and NexGen Project correspond cardinal components of Airservices Australia’s ongoing efforts to heighten some nan environmental sustainability and safety of Australian aviation. By focusing connected nan remediation of contamination and nan upgrade of captious rescue facilities, nan projects will importantly amended nan aviation infrastructure successful Queensland and Victoria. As nan nationalist proceeding progresses, nan insights gained from this reappraisal will play a important domiciled successful shaping nan future of aviation safety and environmental responsibility successful Australia.