Defence faces 25 foam compensation claims

The federal government is facing 25 compensation claims from families affected by firefighting foam groundwater contamination from its air force bases.

There are 16 claims from Williamtown in NSW, eight from Oakey in Queensland and one from Katherine in the Northern Territory.

Defence department official Steve Grzeskowiak told a Senate hearing on Wednesday none of the claims has been settled, and the older ones were made at least 12 months ago.