THE Territory Government last night vowed to fight ``tooth and nail'' to stop a nuclear waste facility being built in the NT.

And it received strong support from an unlikely source in the CLP. The Federal Government yesterday moved to build a waste facility here through brute force, introducing legislation to head off any challenge from governments, indigenous owners or green groups.

If the law is passed in the Senate, a nuclear waste depository will be built on Commonwealth land near Alice Springs or Katherine within five years.

Chief Minister Clare Martin said the move was the worst-ever federal attack on Territory rights - worse than the overthrow of the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act in 1997.

But her Government stopped short of announcing an expensive legal challenge.

Labor said it hoped CLP Senator Nigel Scullion would cross the floor and vote against the plan.

Ms Martin said the Senator had publicly said he would vote against the Bill.

Senator Scullion last night denied this. This was despite telling the Northern Territory News in August: ``I'm out on this now _ I'll cross the floor.''

But last night Senator Scullion said he had only supported a Labor motion calling on Prime Minister John Howard to honour an election promise not to build the facility in the NT. ``I've never said I would vote against it,'' he said.

Territory Opposition Leader Jodeen Carney said the CLP supported the call for scrapping federal laws.

"One thing Territorians don't like is Canberra opposing their will,'' Ms Carney said.

One of the Territory's two Independent parliamentarians said the Territory Government had only itself to blame for the problem.

Gerry Wood, the Member for Nelson, accused the Territory Government of engaging in a political charade to cover ``its lack of leadership''.

NT Health Minister Peter Toyne said the Lucas Heights reactor in Sydney could produce medical isotopes for 30 years.

"It's shameful to use cancer patients as pawns in this grubby political game,'' Mr Toyne said.

Ms Martin said the Territory was being forced to take the nuclear facility because it was not a state.

"The Federal Government is doing this to us because it can,'' she said.