Tuesday 20 December 2005
ABC NT Local News

The Country Liberal Party (CLP) says it is confident the nuclear waste dump planned for the Northern Territory will be the safest in the world.

The Member for Greatorex, Richard Lim, visited the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor in Sydney last week to observe how waste is safely transported and stored.

Dr Lim says he saw how low-level nuclear waste is put into concrete-filled drums and stacked on racks in a steel warehouse.

He says the process is low risk and can be replicated easily in the Territory.

"I believe that the safety levels will be the best in the world and I will want to be part of the discussions with the scientists and the Commonwealth Government to ensure that whatever facility comes to the Northern Territory would be best practice so that we will have none of those risk factors," he said.

The CLP says the facility could generate lucrative opportunities for local people.

Dr Lim says non-government groups like Aboriginal land councils could also reap the rewards by putting forward alternative sites.

"Private enterprise, including private people or private enterprise such as the land councils, can now freely negotiate with the Federal Government for a location within their own land," he said.

"If they can do that they can maximise the financial and social benefits for their own country or their own people."