Australian government’s plan for nuclear waste dump on farming land bombs in the Senate

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation torpedoes Kimba nuclear waste dump in SA, Claire Bickers, Federal Politics Reporter, The Advertiser, November 11, 2020 

Pauline Hanson will torpedo the Federal Government’s bid to build a radioactive waste dump in regional South Australia.

The One Nation leader, who aims to win a seat in SA at the next federal election, has confirmed she will not back legislation to build the nuclear waste storage site at Napandee farm, near Kimba.

Without One Nation’s two crucial votes – and Labor, the Greens, and independent senator Rex Patrick not backing the Bill – the government does not have enough votes for it to pass parliament without changes.

Senator Hanson told The Advertiser she had serious concerns about the process to select Napandee, the level of community support, the waste site being built on farming land, and the facility storing intermediate radioactive waste above ground.

“I want to make the right decision, not for the interim, I want to make the right decision for future generations,” Senator Hanson said.

“I’m not going to be badgered or pushed into this.

“It’s about looking after the people of SA, but also the whole of Australia.”

Senator Hanson said One Nation wanted to win a seat in SA at the next election, and she hoped South Australians would take into account her strong stance on the waste site.

One Nation adviser Jennifer Game, who ran as the party’s SA Senate candidate at the 2019 election, has been leading research and consultation on the Kimba site.

“I think the government has rushed the decision to have it there,” Senator Hanson said.

Almost 62 per cent of 734 Kimba residents supported the facility in a postal vote in 2019 but Senator Hanson said locals had indicated to the party that closer to half of the town did not support the facility.

The region’s native title holders, the Barngarla people, were also not given a say in the official vote.

Senator Hanson was concerned other locations that may be suitable were not investigated, such as an old mining site in Leonora, in Western Australia, which may be able to store the waste underground.

“We don’t know what the future is going to hold, we don’t know if war is going to touch our shores,” she said.

“Do we really want a facility that is above ground that could be problems further down the track, if anything happens?”…https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/pauline-hansons-one-nation-torpedoes-kimba-nuclear-waste-dump-in-sa/news-story/9043c46fa44ecd8a1b4e46be111745f3

November 12, 2020 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, politics, wastes