Australia Sues to Recover Billions in PFAS Cleanup Costs at Defense Bases

ByPFAS Primer Team

The Australian government announced that it commenced proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against 3M Company and 3M Australia Pty Ltd. to recover costs for alleged PFAS contamination at 28 defense bases across Australia, where PFAS were allegedly present in legacy firefighting foams used for many years. The government alleges that 3M withheld information and misrepresented the effects of its AFFF, did not fully disclose what it knew about the environmental risks of AFFF, and gave assurances about disposal and environmental safety that were inconsistent with its knowledge at the time. The Australian government is seeking more than AUS$2 billion in damages to recover past and future expenses incurred in investigating and managing contamination from the historical storage and use of AFFF.

May 28, 2026 | Commonwealth of Australia v. 3M Co. (Fed. Ct. Austl.).

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