Industry leaders unite to explore the future of environmental risk in Australia
PFAS has become one of Australia’s most significant environmental challenges, attracting increasing attention from governments, regulators, industry and the broader community.
Against this backdrop, Lotsearch recently convened an executive roundtable bringing together environmental scientists, legal experts, government representatives, academics and industry leaders to discuss the future of PFAS management and the broader contamination challenges facing Australia.
Our thanks go to our industry experts who together represented the environmental, legal and scientific landscapes:
- Ross McFarland, Chief Environmental Scientist & Site Auditor, AECOM
- Jerome Boutelet, Councillor, Bayside Council & Head of Government Relations, InfoTrack
- Professor Michael Manefield, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW
- Elizabeth Wild, Environmental Law Partner
- Alongside our Lotsearch experts:
- Nola Hocking, COO, Roundtable Chair
- Howard Waldron, Co-Founder & CEO, Roundtable Participant
- Peter Rodgers, Co-Founder & CTO, Roundtable Participant
While PFAS was the catalyst for the discussion, the conversation quickly expanded into a broader examination of environmental risk, contamination transparency, data accessibility, environmental disclosure and the role industry must play in supporting better environmental outcomes.
The discussion reinforced an important point: the question is no longer whether PFAS matters, but how Australia responds.
Exclusive Research
As Australia’s trusted source of land and property information, that aids industry experts to identify environmental risk, we have identified over 260,000 known and potentially contaminated sites across Australia, illustrating both the urgency and national scale of the issue.
We have recently assessed this information to determine how many of these sites could be linked to potential PFAS contamination, and initial preliminary findings show us that over 50% of sites (approximately 130,000) may be contaminated with PFAS.
Beyond PFAS: a broader contamination challenge
PFAS may be capturing headlines today, driven by growing public awareness, increasing regulatory scrutiny and recent high-profile litigation, including the Australian Government’s legal action against 3M.
However, one of the strongest themes to emerge from the roundtable was that Australia’s contamination challenge extends far beyond a single contaminant.
Participants explored a range of interconnected issues, including:
- Environmental disclosure
- Contaminated land management
- Emerging contaminants
- Data accessibility
- Property risk transparency
- Environmental due diligence
- Long-term environmental stewardship
As one participant observed, PFAS may simply be the ‘tip of the iceberg’, highlighting broader challenges around how environmental risks are identified, communicated and managed across the property and development lifecycle.
Moving from awareness to action
The roundtable was a powerful and thought-provoking conversation focused on evaluating the recommendations made following Federal and NSW Parliamentary Inquiries into PFAS contamination.
Historically, much of Australia’s environmental response has focused on managing contamination after it has occurred. Recent PFAS litigation serves as a reminder of the significant financial, environmental and social costs that can arise when risks are identified too late.
Discussion centred on how industry, government and regulators can work together to improve transparency, strengthen disclosure frameworks and support earlier identification of environmental risks.
Participants agreed that informed decision-making relies on access to accurate, reliable and timely environmental information.
The importance of environmental disclosure
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the critical role environmental disclosure plays in supporting better outcomes.
Whether in property transactions, planning decisions, infrastructure projects or contaminated land management, access to environmental information enables stakeholders to make more informed decisions and better understand potential risks.
Improving visibility of environmental risks throughout the property lifecycle was identified as a key opportunity to support more proactive environmental management and reduce the likelihood of future contamination issues emerging.
Continuing the conversation
The insights emerging from the roundtable are currently being developed into an industry whitepaper that will explore the challenges, opportunities and practical considerations associated with PFAS management and environmental risk more broadly.
The whitepaper will contribute to ongoing industry discussions around:
- PFAS and emerging contaminants
- Environmental disclosure reform
- Property risk transparency
- Contaminated land management
- Environmental due diligence
- Data accessibility and contamination intelligence
As Australia continues to navigate increasingly complex environmental challenges, collaboration between industry, government, academia and the broader community will remain essential.
The PFAS roundtable demonstrated the value of bringing diverse perspectives together to explore practical, evidence-based approaches that support both environmental protection and informed decision-making.
Coming soon
PFAS in Practice: Turning Policy into Action for Australia’s Contaminated Sites
To stay informed and receive a copy of the whitepaper when released, visit Beyond PFAS: the future of contamination risk & disclosure
For any other queries, contact the Lotsearch team at marketing@lotsearch.com.au
This feature was submitted as a Corporate Partner Benefit.