The Environment Centre of the NT (ECNT) says comments made by French uranium miner and nuclear reactor operator AREVA in Perth on Friday could mean any radioactive waste dump built in the NT would become the final destination for thousands of tonnes of international high level radioactive waste.

ECNT Coordinator Peter Robertson said AREVA’s comments demanded a commitment from the Howard government to pass legislation ensuring any waste dump could not be used for the rest of the world’s radioactive waste.

“AREVA is not only the French government’s major nuclear reactor operator, but through its subsidiary Cogema it also wants to open a new uranium mine in Kakadu National Park – the ‘Koongarra’ mine near the world famous Nourlangie Rock tourist and cultural site.

“Already Australian uranium goes to AREVA’s reactors in France and France, like the rest of the world, is facing a nuclear waste crisis because after 50 years of operation no safe long term means of disposing of the growing pile of high level reactor waste has been found.

“Clearly the French, like the Japanese, British and many others, would love a waste dump in outback Australia - a place described by Federal Science Minister Brendan Nelson as ‘the middle of nowhere’.

“If the Howard government will not commit to passing legislation to permanently ban the dumping of international radioactive waste in the NT then that is one more reason why the public should reject the flawed and unnecessary dump plan.

“The Howard government has already lied over the locating of a dump in the NT so anything less than legislation banning overseas waste will not have any credibility.”