Friday, 25 May, 2007

by Anne Barker and Karen Barlow
The World Today

ELEANOR HALL: Returning now to our correspondent in the Territory, Anne Barker.

So Anne, how much opposition has there been from other Indigenous people in the Territory, to a nuclear waste dump?

ANNE BARKER: Well there has been considerable opposition, two of the sites, the defence sites that have been identified by the Federal Government previously... (inaudible) ... they're land where a lot of Indigenous people live. There's been staunch opposition from Hart's Range, about 150km from Alice Springs, and at Mt Everard, down near Alice Springs.

And because of that opposition, that has slowed the process in choosing a site that could be on defence land. Even at Muckaty Station, there are two groups of traditional owners that said they didn't want this nuclear waste depository. But at the end of the day, you only need one repository and there's one group that has made this offer today.

ELEANOR HALL: And has the Northern Territory Government yet responded to this agreement?

ANNE BARKER: They've maintained their opposition to any nuclear waste repository in the NT, they've been very vocal critics as we just heard from the minister. But at the end of the day, they can't win. They can't really take the Federal Government to court on this, because unless... (inaudible) ...amendments were passed last year have overridden the NT, when it comes to defence land and where... (inaudible).

ELEANOR HALL: And that's Anne Barker there on a rather difficult line in the Northern Territory.

Labor's Federal Environment Spokesman, Peter Garrett, has criticised the deal.

He's been telling Karen Barlow that the local community has not been properly consulted.

PETER GARRETT: Labor's not surprised, but disappointed at this nomination, given that there are a number of interested parties, traditional owners, in and around the Muckaty Station, who are opposed to this radioactive waste dump being located in and around their country, we understand. And regrettably, the amendments that the Government passed to the Radioactive Waste Management legislation in 2006 deny them any procedural rights or appeal rights.

So it's critical that the rights of all interested parties, including traditional owners, are actually taken into account and we'd be very concerned if that wasn't the case here.

KAREN BARLOW: Do not these traditional owners represent the community?

PETER GARRETT: Well there's a number of traditional owners in and around this area. The direct traditional owners who will have the site as their specific site on land are in favour, it seems, but there are a number of other traditional owners in and around the area who have already expressed their opposition to it.

And it seems to me to be critical for the Government to take their concerns into account as a matter of importance. Look, we need a rigorous assessment process, but we also need the rights of interested parties, and properly interested parties, not to be denied. The fact of the matter is here that the Government's legislation certainly permits it to effectively ride over the wishes and interests of a number of traditional owners who are opposed to the location of this radioactive waste dump.

We want to see more detail on the actual engagement between the NLC (Northern Land Council) and the Government, but the legislation that was passed through the house, amending this act, means that the Government can pretty much do what it wants and it seems like the interests of Aboriginal people here are again going to be denied.

ELEANOR HALL: That's Labor's Environment Spokesman, Peter Garrett, speaking to Karen Barlow.