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Thousands join Indigenous Australians to protest nuclear waste dumping plans

Nuclear waste dump protesters bring the fight from outback South Australia to the city, By Lauren Waldhuter   http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-15/nuclear-waste-dump-protesters-bring-the-fight-to-adelaide/7935954

Traditional landowners from South Australia’s outback have brought their fight against proposed nuclear storage facilities to the steps of Parliament House.

About 3,000 people rallied against proposed nuclear waste dumps, with Aboriginal families affected by nuclear testing at Maralinga among the crowd.

The State Government is considering whether it should store the world’s high-grade nuclear waste at a site somewhere in South Australia.

At the same time, the Federal Government is considering building its first storage facility for Australia’s low-grade radioactive waste, having short-listed Wallerberdina station, near Hawker in the Flinders Ranges, as a preferred site.

Traditional landowner Karina Lester said many people did not want to see either proposal go ahead.

“We are starting to unite and we are starting to really think about how we’re going to fight this, because it concerns us and we have a cultural responsibility,” she said.

“People travelled from the Mid North [and] from Ceduna as well to be part of this event and it was so important that they gathered here today to say ‘enough is enough’.

“Having Yalata crew, having Ceduna crew, the Yappala crew being involved is so strong for us as Aboriginal people.”

Renowned film director Scott Hicks lent his voice to the cause, with particular concern about the high-grade dump.

“To me it’s an idea that doesn’t make sense on any level I can look at it,” he said.

“It doesn’t make economic sense. We can’t even predict the price of coal a month from now. How can we predict the price of nuclear waste 100 years from now?

“Why would we want to leave a legacy for our children’s, children’s children and beyond 100,000 years, that can never be taken away?”

What is being proposed?

Federal

• Low-to-intermediate level radioactive waste generated in Australia stored in a purpose-built facility
• It would include materials such as nuclear medicine by-products
• This waste is currently stored in more than 100 sites across Australia, in metropolitan areas, regional towns and cities
• The project promises at least 15 ongoing jobs and $10 million in funding for the host community once the facility is operational

South Australia

• The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission found SA could store the world’s high-grade nuclear waste
• Sealed waste would be stored 500 metres underground in a purpose-built facility
• The facility could create up to 5,000 jobs during construction and 600 ongoing jobs
• It is tipped to generate $5.6 billion of annual revenue for SA once established

October 15, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, opposition to nuclear