Questions and Answers

If your property has been identified for testing, you would have previously received letters (in 2024 and 2025) from Port Kembla Copper requesting access and describing the proposed testing scope and methods. Your property would also have been visited by Senversa staff to offer testing (on up to six occasions).If you are new to the area and not sure about your property’s history, have changed your mind about testing or are unsure if you are in the investigation area, then please get in touch. Contact details are here: Contact.There are two testing programs being conducted:In areas of Port Kembla where potential contamination of soil and roof dust from past smelting activities is suspected; andIn areas where only roof dust contamination from the smelter may exist.The testing will only occur with the written consent of the landowner using the form located here: Consent Form. In the case of rented properties, the landowner will need also to make arrangements with their tenants to allow Senversa to conduct the sampling.If you agree to have testing conducted at your property, you will be provided with the results and notified whether the remediation of your property for smelter-related contamination is required. The results will also be provided to the independent expert Site Auditor for review and approval and the NSW EPA for review before issue to you in a formal report.

Testing will be completed in accessible areas of your property by an environmental consulting firm called Senversa. When the Senversa representative arrives at your property on the day of testing, they will ask some questions about the history and use of the property to identify the best options for testing.There are two types of testing that might be conducted: soil and/or dust. The need for testing of one (or both) of these material types at your property is based on the outcomes of the prior investigation (see the About page).Soil testing process – outdoorsThe Senversa representative and a service location contractor will conduct a short examination to confirm the locations of utilities (e.g. water, sewer electricity, telecommunications) under each property.They will then hand drill a number of small holes (generally 10) into the lawn and/or garden beds to about 1 m and collect soil samples.The sampling locations will have only very small holes (about 10 cm wide).They will then backfill the small holes and leave the area as it was before the sample was taken.Dust testing process – indoorsA ladder will be used to access the roof cavity and obtain dust samples from this space, which will be collected in a jar.Indoor areas (such as floors and windowsills) will be wiped with a cloth to take dust samples.Indoor dust wipe samples are collected to assess whether roof dust and/or soil may be impacting on the indoor parts of your property. If there is no evidence of smelter-related contamination in soil or roof dust, the indoor dust wipe samples will not be tested.The sampling will take between approximately 4 to 8 hours where soil and dust samples will be collected. If only dust sampling is required, it will take less time.When the sampling at your property is completed, samples will be sent to an independent accredited laboratory for analysis. The laboratory results will then be used to assess the concentrations of metals that are present in soil and/or dust at your property and if they are likely to be related to historical smelter emissions.After results are received, you will be provided with a copy of the testing report for your property. This letter will identity whether smelter-related contamination is present at your property and if remediation is required. The testing report will be reviewed and approved by the independent expert Site Auditor and reviewed by NSW EPA. A copy of the report will also be provided to Wollongong City Council.

The investigation areas (one for soil and roof dust, and one for roof dust only) were established based on the outcomes of detailed research and literature reviews, and testing of more than 1,100 soil and dust samples collected from public open space and select private properties in Port Kembla. This work was commissioned by Port Kembla Copper and completed by environmental consulting firm (Senversa).If your property is outside of the investigation areas, there is currently no evidence to suggest it contains concentrations of metals resulting from the historical operation of the Port Kembla copper smelter which require further assessment. This finding was reviewed and accepted by an independent expert Site Auditor, and also reviewed by NSW EPA and NSW Health.If you are outside the investigation area but have evidence of potential smelter contamination (such as a testing report from NSW EPA, a university or a consultant), then please get in touch and Senversa and the independent expert Site Auditor will review the information. Contact details are here: Contact. If there is evidence of smelter contamination, you will be offered an investigation by Port Kembla Copper.Port Kembla Copper is also investigating select properties outside of the current investigation area in a process agreed with the independent expert Site Auditor and NSW EPA. Senversa may contact you about accessing your property even if you are outside the investigation area.

Detailed reviews of previous research and relevant investigation records, and collection and analysis of more than 1,100 soil and dust samples by Port Kembla Copper’s environmental consultant (Senversa) has been used to identify areas of Port Kembla which could have been contaminated by historical smelter operations. Based on this work, approximately 100 properties are suspected to have smelter-related soil and roof dust contamination. A further approximately 300 properties are suspected to have smelter-related roof dust contamination only.The investigations commissioned by Port Kembla Copper will seek to confirm the actual number of properties in Port Kembla which have been contaminated by historical smelter operations and to plan subsequent remediation, where required. Investigation and remediation of accessible smelter-related contamination will be provided free of charge by Port Kembla Copper.

If you do not wish to have your property tested, you are under no obligation to do so. However, Port Kembla Copper will not be offering testing or remediation forever. If you do not take up Port Kembla Copper’s offer, you may have to pay for later investigation and remediation (if required) yourself.

Remediation is the process used to address accessible contamination and ensure a property is safe for its current layout and use.

Remediation can include a range of options such as vacuuming of roof cavities, capping or removing contaminated soil and deep cleaning of indoor areas. Remediation will only occur in accessible areas where there is a feasible pathway for exposure to contamination under the current use of the property. Decisions about appropriate remediation options (if required) for each property will be made in consultation with owners and tenants, regulators and an independent expert Site Auditor.

The remediation options applied at each property will be based on individual property test results and owner needs. The type and extent of remediation can be affected by a range of factors including whether soil and / or dust is contaminated, how the property is used and the preferences of the individual landowner. Engineering limitations may also require consideration. Remediation options will be reviewed and approved by the independent expert Site Auditor and reviewed by NSW EPA before implementation.

You are in an area of Port Kembla where metals from historical smelter-related operations may be present at concentrations which could pose a risk to your health.Investigation is necessary to confirm whether these conditions exist at your property.We note that there are other sources of metals in Port Kembla, including: lead paint residues, motor vehicle emissions, emissions from other local, non-PKC related industry, and filling of land with industrial residues. This means that metals may be present at your property at concentrations which could pose a risk (and require remediation), but which are not associated with historical smelter operations. Port Kembla Copper will not be investigating or remediating metals associated with sources other than the smelter.

The historical operations at the smelter resulted in the emission of metals dust to air, which could have settled on the soil and roof cavity of your property. The metals in soil and roof dust can then enter the indoor parts of your property. Above certain levels, the metals in soil and dust at your property could pose a risk to your health.

Your property is in a part of Port Kembla where previous investigations indicate roof dust contamination may exist, but not soil contamination. This determination is based on a very large amount of prior work completed by Senversa (including collection and analysis of more than 1,100 samples) and other investigations by the University of Wollongong and Macquarie University. The results of the prior work have been accepted an independent expert Site Auditor and also reviewed by NSW EPA.If you are concerned, you can contact the NSW EPA which has a soil testing service available to the community. After sampling is complete, you may pass these results onto Port Kembla Copper to determine if historical smelter related contamination may be present.  For more information on the NSW EPA’s soil testing, please email NSW EPA at info@epa.nsw.gov.au. If you have already had testing at your property, Senversa and the Independent expert Site Auditor can review the results and assess whether there is evidence of historical smelter-related contamination at your property. If there is, Port Kembla Copper will investigate.

It will take about 1 day to collect the samples from accessible parts of your property and about 3 to 6 months to get you a report – which will be reviewed by the independent expert Site Auditor and NSW EPA prior to release to you. We will also provide you any interim management measures you should implement to help reduce risk in the meantime, and whether remediation at your property may be required. An offer to discuss the results of the testing and investigation report will also be made by Senversa.

If your property is contaminated by historical smelter emissions, we will provide interim management advice and then seek to remediate accessible parts of your property as soon as we can. Funds from the sale of the smelter became available in August 2026 to support the remediation program.We will contact about scheduling in the work and agreeing on a scope of remediation which is acceptable to you, the NSW EPA and independent expert auditor. If you don’t hear from us, please get in touch.Roof dust remediation will take 1 – 2 days to complete; soil remediation may take up to one month.Port Kembla Copper notes that there are other sources of contamination in Port Kembla, including: lead paint residues, motor vehicle emissions, emissions from other local, non-PKC related industry, and filling of land with industrial residues. This means that contamination may be present at your property at concentrations which could pose a risk (and require remediation), but which are not associated with historical smelter operations. Port Kembla Copper will not be investigating or remediating contamination associated with sources other than the smelter.

Remediation options available to residents consist of either: removal of the accessible smelter contaminated soil and / or dust; or retention and management of the contamination. Port Kembla Copper recommends removal, but residents may choose retention. Options that include retention of contamination will require the preparation and implementation of a long-term environmental management plan (LTEMP). Port Kembla Copper’s consultant, Senversa, will prepare the LTEMP for you. However, you will be required to implement the LTEMP.  Wollongong City Council has indicated that it will also record the presence of the LTEMP on the planning certificate for the property.If your property is contaminated and you elect to have remediation, Senversa will contact you to discuss the scope and timeframe for the work and the health, safety and environment management measures that will be applied.At the conclusion of remediation, a report will be provided to you verifying that remediation has been completed. The report will be reviewed and approved by the independent expert Site Auditor and also be provided to NSW EPA for review.

Port Kembla Copper will reinstate the property in the condition in which it was received prior to remediation. This means, for example, if there is insulation in your roof cavity, it will be removed and replaced with insulation of the same rating. In yard areas, the same areas of turf and planting will be replaced, noting that the replacement plants and shrubs will be juvenile species.PKC is not funding or facilitating additional services, upgrades or property improvements as part of the remediation program – even where residents offer to cover the costs themselves.This approach helps ensure remediation works are delivered consistently and fairly for all affected residents. It also means Port Kembla Copper is focussing on completing the core element of the work – remediating smelter contamination in accessible areas of the property.

Properties with young children will be prioritised for remediation, since they are most susceptible to the harmful effects of metals. However, we will seek to remediate people’s properties as quickly as we can. We expect the entire remediation program will take approximately 3 years to complete.

Yes you can. However, Port Kembla Copper will not be offering investigation and remediation forever. The project is expected to be complete in approximately 3 years (2029)- after which Port Kembla Copper will not be offering further investigation and remediation.

Port Kembla Copper was the last owner and operator of the smelter and is voluntarily doing the work for the benefit of the community.

Investigation and remediation will only be in areas where there is the potential for exposure of the resident smelter-related metals under the current use of the property. For example, soil under sealed ground or dust in wall cavities or on top of sarking does not pose a risk since there is no feasible way for the resident to be exposed. Therefore, it will not be investigated or remediated. All investigation and remediation proposed and completed by Senversa will be approved by the Independent expert Site Auditor and provided to the NSW EPA for review.

Port Kembla Copper does not know whether your property is actually contaminated. However, investigations which commenced near the beginning of 2020 indicate your property is in an area of Port Kembla where historical smelter related contamination may be present.

Port Kembla Copper started its investigations in Port Kembla near the beginning of 2020 - to assess for potential contamination in soil, indoor dust and roof dust associated with historical airborne smelter emissions. The investigations included review of historical reports, former smelter operations, relevant literature and the collection and analysis of soil in public open space, and soil, roof dust and indoor dust in select private properties.The results of these investigations were used by Port Kembla Copper to identify areas of Port Kembla where further investigation is required – at a total of approximately 400 residential and school properties. These further investigations commenced in mid-2024 following review and approval of a testing plan by the independent expert Site Auditor. The plan was also reviewed by the NSW EPA before investigations commenced. If we have requested access to your property, it is most likely within the investigation area where historical smelter related contamination may exist and sampling is required to confirm if your property has been contaminated by historical smelter emissions.

We recommend that you get the testing done before renovations to ensure you and your contractors can be aware of possible presence and risks from contamination and if necessary take precautions to limit potential exposure. Please contact us if you are proposing to do renovations so we can schedule a time to test your property. Contact details are here: Contact

It is important to note that Wollongong City Council has placed notations on the planning certificates of every property within the investigation areas – indicating that it holds information to suggest the properties in these areas may be contaminated. These notations can be viewed by potential purchasers of the property as part of the conveyancing process. Wollongong City Council will use the results from investigations (and remediation, if required) to amend the notations on planning certificates – either to confirm the presence (or absence) of contamination and, where necessary and applied, completion of the remediation of contamination.

Yes, the results will be provided to Wollongong City Council after they have been reviewed and accepted by the Independent expert Site Auditor and reviewed by the NSW EPA.Wollongong City Council has placed notations on the planning certificates of every property within the investigation areas – indicating that it holds information to suggest the properties in these areas may be contaminated. Wollongong City Council will use the results from investigations (and remediation, if required) to amend the notations on planning certificates – either to confirm the presence (or absence) of contamination and, where necessary and applied, completion of the remediation of contamination.