Wednesday 10 May 2006
ABC NT Local News

Money to clean up parts of the Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park, which have been contaminated by uranium mining, has been included in the federal Budget.

Treasurer Peter Costello handed down the Budget last night.

He says the Federal Government is putting more than $7 million towards rehabilitating sites around the South Alligator River contaminated by uranium mining decades ago.

The Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Greg Hunt, says the Jawoyn traditional owners want radioactive material stored on-site.

"They have very strong views that that which came out of the ground should return to the same place," he said.

"Traditional owners have said to us they want to find a solution on-site in that part of the land.

"They have a view that that is where it should be returned, it came from there, so long as the scientists and the engineers agree we're looking at solutions in that area."

The Territory Environment Centre's Peter Robertson says it is great news.

"Those sites that have been lying around there and contaminating the environment for decades now hopefully they will now finally be cleaned up," he said.

But he says other old mine sites such as Rum Jungle are in more pressing need of a clean-up.