William Tilmouth re: nuclear waste dump

Tuesday 8 November 2005
ABC Alice Springs Morning Program
with Kate Sieper

William Tilmouth is the Chairman of the Alcoota Aboriginal
Corporation, one of those who made the journey to Canberra this week to protest having the national nuclear waste in the Territory.

REPTR William good morning.

TILMOUTH GOOD MORNING.

REPTR How is our nation's capital this morning?

TILMOUTH PRETTY COLD AND A LOT OF MAGPIES.

REPTR Who have you met with so far?

TILMOUTH WE'VE JUST FINISHED MEETING WITH THE MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS, AMANDA VANSTONE. WE'VE MET WITH TWO OTHER POLITICIANS YESTERDAY.

REPTR Do you have plans to meet with Senator Scullion?

TILMOUTH YES THIS AFTERNOON.

REPTR Do you feel that your concerns have been heard?

TILMOUTH ...(line drop out)...BEING HEARD, WHETHER THEY'LL BE ACTED ON IS ANOTHER THING.

REPTR What exactly are you hoping to achieve?

TILMOUTH I BEG YOUR PARDON?

REPTR What are you hoping to achieve William?

TILMOUTH WELL BASICALLY WE DO NOT WANT THE NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA, LET ALONE THE NORTHERN TERRITORY AS WELL.

REPTR What are your personal objections to the dump?

TILMOUTH OUR PERSONAL OBJECTIONS FIRST AND FOREMOST IS THAT NUCLEAR WASTE IS A DANGEROUS BY-PRODUCT, AND ALSO THE TRADITIONAL OWNERS HAVE UNEQUIVOCALLY SAID NO!

REPTR On what grounds?

TILMOUTH ON FIRSTLY THAT THEY ARE SCARED OF THE POISON OF THE LAND, THE WATER AREAS, THE ANIMALS THAT LIVE WITHIN THAT LAND AND BUSH TUCKER...

REPTR ...If they were told, learned, that there wasn't any
danger from the nuclear waste dump would there still be objections?

TILMOUTH WE CAN BE TOLD THAT THERE IS NO DANGER, BUT THERE'S NO GUARANTEES. I MEAN NUCLEAR WASTE IS A POISON AND IT'S NOT WHAT WE WANT.

REPTR Is there any upside that you can see to having the waste
dump in Central Australia?

TILMOUTH NOT THAT IT WEAKENS YOU, BECAUSE BOTH AREAS OR BOTH CATCHMENT AREAS WERE MADE TO RIVERS, MT EVERARD IS A CATCHMENT AREA FOR THE
CHARLES AND TODD RIVERS. THE HARTS RANGE HAS A CATCHMENT AREA FOR THE SANDOVERS AND THE PLENTY RIVERS, WHICH ULTIMATELY RUN INTO THE GEORGINA AND ULTIMATELY LAKE AYRE.

REPTR So what will you do next to try and stop this?

TILMOUTH WE WILL LOBBY AS HARD AS WE CAN WHILST WE'RE HERE AND SEE WHO WE CAN TALK TO IN RELATION TO CONVINCING SENATOR SCULLION TO PUT A BLOCK ON THIS.

REPTR Will you also be meeting with say Family First Senators
who are still undecided it would seem on how they're going to vote?

TILMOUTH YES WE PLAN TO DO THAT.

REPTR When are you coming home William?

TILMOUTH PROBABLY TOMORROW, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE OF ...(inaudible)... BUT WE'LL BE BACK TOMORROW.

REPTR And do you feel that you are achieving something there?

TILMOUTH WE ARE GETTING PEOPLE TO LISTEN AND WE DID A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE SYMPATHETIC TO OUR CAUSE, YES.

REPTR Do you think sympathy will be enough?

TILMOUTH NO, WE NEED ACTION AND WE NEED ACTION IN RELATION TO BLOCKING THIS BILL.

REPTR William thank you very much for speaking with us. And
will be interested to speaking with you when you get back.

TILMOUTH THANK YOU.

REPTR That's William Tilmouth the Chairman of the Alcoota
Aboriginal Corporation in Canberra trying to stop the nuclear waste
facility being built in Central Australia.