The Australian government filed a legal claim against US manufacturer 3M on May 28, 2026, seeking damages exceeding 2 billion Australian dollars (about 1.4 billion US dollars) for PFAS contamination at 28 defence sites across the country [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The lawsuit, the largest ever brought by the Australian federal government, addresses pollution from PFAS chemicals in firefighting foams used at the bases [1, 3, 5, 6, 7].
PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are toxic "forever chemicals" that persist in the environment and have been linked to cancer, liver damage, and immune system suppression [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Australia alleges 3M withheld and misrepresented risks linked to its aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a PFAS-containing product used extensively at defence sites. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said, "Make no mistake, this legal action against 3M is significant," adding the misconduct has caused "substantial costs for defence and the Australian taxpayer, including over $1bn to date to investigate, remediate and mitigate PFAS contamination at defence estate sites" [1].
3M responded that it has never manufactured PFAS in Australia and stopped selling PFAS-containing foams there about 20 years ago [1, 3, 5]. A 3M spokesperson said, "Despite this, the Department of Defence continued to use PFAS-containing firefighting foams for nearly two decades longer" [5]. Australia's Department of Defence began phasing out PFAS foams around 2004 [3].
The cleanup effort is extensive, involving removal of over 200,000 tonnes of contaminated soil and treatment of more than 13 billion litres of polluted water [3, 5, 6, 9, 7, 8]. The Department of Defence has spent over 1 billion Australian dollars on investigation, remediation, and mitigation measures at the affected sites so far [1, 2, 3, 5, 10]. Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil said the lawsuit aims "to recover the significant costs Defence has and will continue to incur" and added, "If successful, the government plans to use the proceeds to clean soil and water around contaminated sites and provide clean water supplies to affected communities" [3, 8].
3M faces multiple PFAS-related lawsuits worldwide and agreed to a $10 billion US settlement in 2023 [6, 9, 7]. The company announced it will cease all PFAS chemical production by 2025 [3, 8]. PFAS-containing firefighting foams are no longer used in Australia due to environmental concerns [2, 3, 5, 10].
The Australian Federal Court will handle the case filed today, with the government seeking accountability and reparations for lasting contamination at military sites nationwide [2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
