Greenies condemn Liberal Party affair with N-waste industry
Monday, 4 June, 2007
Arid Lands Environment Centre
"The Liberal party is unashamed in its attempts to sell off our country for a quick dollar. Nuclear companies will never commit to managing radioactive materials for the length of time they are hazardous, meaning it would be remote communities, already economically disadvantaged, who would have to deal with the long term consequences of living near a nuclear dump," said Natalie Wasley, Beyond Nuclear Initiative campaigner at ALEC.
"Encouraging countries to send their waste to Australia is encouraging production of toxic materials world wide. There is no way to safely manage this waste for the length of time for which it is dangerous. Australia should be encouraging investment from industries without such long term and environmentally threatening management issues."
Ms Wasley raised concern that the proposed Federal dump in the NT could be upgraded to accept international waste.
"Despite assurances now that the NT dump would only ever accept domestic waste, the Federal Government does not have a record conducive to being trusted on promises regarding nuclear developments. Howard’s shameless promotion of an expanded nuclear industry in Australia provides little assurance that the proposed NT dump is not the thin edge of the wedge for an international facility."
"The process of assessing Northern Territory sites for a Federal radioactive dump has been procedurally bereft and outrageously undemocratic. Given the appalling process being used for the Federal dump plan, there is little faith that establishing an international dump would be done with more community consultation or regard for dissent."
Ms Wasley also pointed out the inconsistencies in Federal Government rhetoric.
"Minister MacFarlane has stated that Australia’s waste is not safe where it is currently stored in the cities, yet the Federal Government is more than happy to dump it just a few kilometres from where people live and run pastoral and tourism enterprises with the assurance that it is 'innocuous.'"
(Ron Cameron, ANSTO Chief of Operations, ABC online 27/05/07).
"Territorians do not overlook the implication from these double standards that their lives, livelihoods and communities are being viewed as political sacrifice zones," Ms Wasley concluded.