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Australian Aboriginals’ legal challenge against nuclear waste dump

The traditional owners have launched a legal challenge against the federal government and the Northern Land Council over plans for the nuclear waste dump at Muckaty station, near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.

Nuclear dump opposed by elders, Sydney Morning Herald, EDWINA SCOTT, July 26, 2010 Aboriginal landowners have protested in Resources Minister Martin Ferguson’s electorate to oppose the establishment of Australia’s first radioactive waste dump on their land.

The traditional owners have launched a legal challenge against the federal government and the Northern Land Council over plans for the nuclear waste dump at Muckaty station, near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.

Elders from Muckaty on Monday travelled to the seat of Batman in Melbourne’s north, calling for the waste dump to be stopped………….

Lawyer Martin Hyde says only one interested landowner group was consulted over the proposed dump.

“When you’re going to put a nuclear waste dump on people’s land and it’s going to be there forever, there’s a legal obligation on the government to ask everybody for their consent and to make sure they’re informed about the pros and cons for having a waste dump on your land,” he said.

But he says a Northern Land Council anthropological report identified only one part of one traditional group as land owners.

“That flies in the face of what the Land Commissioner said after his extensive investigations,” Mr Hyde said.

“So far we haven’t seen this secret anthropological report.”…..The case is due back in the Federal Court in October before Justice Tony North. Nuclear dump opposed by elders

July 27, 2010 - Posted by Christina MacPherson | AUSTRALIA, indigenous issues | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, indigenous, nuclear weapons, radioactive, uranium