Thursday 8 December 2005
CLC

The Central Land Council today slammed the actions of Senator Scullion who failed to deliver on his promise to cross the floor to vote against legislation designed to fast track the construction of a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory.

CLC Director, David Ross, said "Senator Scullion has sold out and is trying to hide behind a package of amendments that do nothing to allay the concerns of traditional owners of the two central Australian sites for the proposed waste dump, Mt Everard and Harts Range/Alcoota.

"The amendments allow Land Councils to nominate a site for a waste dump on Aboriginal land. In reality there is no timeframe or proper process for nominating a site, and if a site is nominated the Minister does not even have to consider it. At the end of the day the three proposed sites in the Territory are still listed in the legislation and are still the main targets. The amendments are a sham"

"Senator Scullion has let these traditional owners down and is now trying to justify his actions by dismissing them as uneducated and misinformed about the waste dump proposal. His paternalistic attitude is highly insulting to landowners who have weighed up the risks and benefits and made a clear decision about their country. It is also scurrilous given Senator Scullion knows that traditional landowners in central Australia were briefed about the waste facility by ANSTO and DEST representatives."

Despite the legislation being passed the Central Land Council has vowed to continue the fight against the waste dump.

"We will continue to fight against a waste dump being placed on either of the two sites in central Australia," Mr Ross said. "Traditional landowners do not want a nuclear waste dump on their country and the CLC will continue to represent their views".