Sunday, 15 April, 2007

Arid Lands Environment Centre

Arid Lands Environment Centre-Beyond Nuclear Initiative (ALEC-BNI) today welcomed the Federal Government announcement of funding for the Alice Springs Solar City initiative, but reiterated that any positive benefits may be overshadowed if a radioactive waste dump is built in the region.

ALEC-BNI campaigner Natalie Wasley stated, "while of course we welcome and commend the Solar City announcement, the fact that the Federal Government is continuing to plow ahead with its plan to impose a radioactive waste dump on the Territory is alarming."

"If Malcolm Turnbull and the Federal Government recognise the potential for Alice to be an iconic and progressive Solar town, this raises the issue why they are simultaneously charging ahead with plans to locate a radioactive waste dump as close as 40 kilometres away."

"Despite positive tourism and investment benefits that may be brought to Alice Springs from the Solar City initiative, a nuclear dump in the region could greatly impact both the tourism and pastoral sectors, which rely heavily on the Territory’s image of a clean, green landscape."

"It would be far better management of Federal radioactive waste to continue to store it at Lucas Heights in Sydney, where the majority of the waste earmarked for the dump is produced and where most of Australia’s trained nuclear experts are working."

"ANSTO have acknowledged that there is the capacity at Lucas Heights to store waste for long periods2, so there is no reason to be hastily approving a remote dump, except to promise the waste ‘out of sight and out of mind’ for Sydney voters in a Federal election year", Ms Wasley concluded.