by Nigel Adlam, NT News
Thursday 9 February 2006

Labor says this is what Canberra plans for NT

The Federal Government wants to store high-level nuclear waste in the Territory, it was claimed last night.

Labor's two Federal representatives and the Environment Centre said Canberra planned to expand the NT waste facility.

The claim was dismissed as untrue by a CLP Territory MHR.

The row started after Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the sooner a waste facility was built "the better".

He added: "But we are talking about a low-level waste facility - we need medium and we need high-level storage as well.

Mr Downer said the longer it took to build a facility the greater the risk of nuclear waste being stolen by terrorists.

Canberra always has said the Territory facility would be the only one in the country and would hold low- and medium-level waste.

Australia does not produce high-level waste.

Solomon MHR Dave Tollner said Mr Downer was talking about the time when Australia had nuclear reactors to generate electricity.

He said a high-level waste facility was "20 years away" and would not necessarily be built in the NT.

Mr Tollner said high-level waste could not be stored at the depository decided upon last year.

"Low and medium-level waste will be stored in an above-ground facility in the Territory," he said.

"High -level waste would have to be deep underground."

"It's illgal to import high-level waste into Australia or store it at the Territory facility."

Lingiari MHR Warren Snowdon and Senator Trish Crossin said Mr Downer was pushing for an expanded waste facility in the NT.

"He wants to find a place for medium- and high-level waste in a hurry and its no accident he mentions the Territory in the same breath," they said in a statement.

Environment Center coordinator Peter Robertson said Mr Downer's comments confirmed his "worst fears".

"The Federal Government clearly had a far bigger and scarier agenda with radioactive waste than the NT and Australian public has been told about," he said.