N-waste plan condemned

Aboriginal groups, Greenpeace and Democrat Senator John Coulter are among many who have condemned a federal government plan to transfer 2000 cubic metres of radioactive waste from Sydney to the Woomera rocket range in SA.

Greenpeace's Ian Fry says the plan looks like a deal stitched up between science and technology minister Ross Free and Aboriginal affairs minister Robert Tickner. The Lucas Heights nuclear reactor, where much of the waste is stored, is in Tickner's electorate.

Greenpeace is concerned that the plan would pre-empt a study into the location of a national waste repository. The plan also highlights the dangers of the 1992 ANSTO legislation, which enables the federal government to ignore state planning and environment laws in matters concerning nuclear wastes.

The proposed location of the wastes on military land appears to be an attempt to remove them from public scrutiny.

Senator Coulter reported that “Max Thomas, elder of the Kokatha people, who are widely known as the owners and carers of the land concerned, said his people are totally against the proposal.

“Aboriginal people in SA have suffered enough with the dumping of radioactive waste at Maralinga by the British”, Coulter added.

Greenpeace says there should be an immediate public inquiry into the handling of radioactive wastes in Australia.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
For further details regarding subscriptions and
correspondence please contact glw@greenleft.org.au

Tools

• Bookmark This Page
• Print This Page