nuclear-news

Australian govt to impose nuclear waste dump on unwilling Territory

Nuclear waste dump should be ‘scrapped’
BigPond News February 23, 2010

Mr Sweeney ….. argued the government was still forcing a nuclear waste dump on a community that doesn’t want it.He says about 60 traditional owners have signed a petition opposing the development of the dump at Muckaty, some of whom Mr Ferguson claims volunteered the land.Mr Sweeney said a small group of traditional owners were paid $200,000 to volunteer their land, but that the government had refused to make the agreement public due to ‘commercial confidence and sensitivity’.’

Carrot and stick and secrecy is not the way to have a responsible radioactive waste management policy for this country,’ he said.’The process must be open, it must be transparent, it must be rigorous and independently peer reviewed and tested.’Above all, there must be a high level of stakeholder confidence and community consent.’None of those key pre-conditions to a successful radioactive waste management scheme exist in Australia.’Mr Sweeney said he did not understand why the issue of nuclear waste disposal had been transferred from the science portfolio to the resources portfolio under the Rudd government.

Ministries of environment, health, indigenous and science all have a legitimate expertise, interest and some carriage of this issue,’ he said.

‘At the moment we have a minister who is very pro-nuclear personally, has a department whose job it is to advance resource industry developments, and whose personal and political style is combative and secretive.’

He said he was concerned the nuclear waste dump, after failing to gain support in other states, was being forced on the NT because it does not have the same constitutional powers as the states.

‘Instead of the search for a postcode that is expedient, we have to adopt a process that is responsible.

‘Regardless of where you are or where you live, this is a national issue.

‘This is happening because of an imbalance of power.’

Nuclear waste dump should be ‘scrapped’ | National – Rural | BigPond News

February 24, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | indigenous issues | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, indigenous, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive