Monday, 19 November, 2007

Arid Lands Environment Centre

As part of a national day of action about the proposed NT radioactive waste dump, Anti-nuclear protesters confronted CLP candidate for Lingiari, Adam Giles, outside his Alice Springs office early on Monday morning.

About thirty protesters challenged Mr Giles to oppose the proposed nuclear waste dump. One of them stood beside Mr Giles wearing an "I'm with Stupid" t-shirt. Giles drove away, sarcastically remarking "don't get a job or anything while I'm gone"

Protesters read a statement "to tell the story of how the federal government is forcing its radioactive waste onto unwilling communities in the Northern Territory."

Using oversized speech bubbles, they decorated the front wall of the CLP office with some of the statements made by Liberal party members about the proposed nuclear waste dump. These included local CLP Senate representative Nigel Scullion's promise to "cross the floor" and oppose the dump.

"Senator Nigel Scullion, whose office we are visiting today, said 'there's not going to be a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory. The people of the Northern Territory don't want anybody else's nuclear waste... I represent them and so, not on my watch,'" the statement quoted.

He later supported the dump legislation in Parliament.

The statement highlighted a lack of Government consultation with Indigenous communities in accepting the nomination of Muckaty Station for the dump.

"Julie Bishop...said she was confident all affected people had been given adequate opportunity to express their views. She had obviously disregarded the numerous letters and public statements of opposition from members of all 5 family groups in the Muckaty Land Trust," it said.

Mitch, an Eastern Arrernte/Luritja woman, spoke out strongly against a nuclear waste dump on her land. "It's not good enough for white people but good enough for black people," she said. "We're getting a bit sick of that."

Mitch encouraged voters to think carefully about the nuclear waste dump on Saturday, because of its impact on Indigenous people. "You're voting for whether we're gonna live or die," she said.

The group added that neither of the major parties could be trusted to stop the proposed dump, though "the Greens, Democrats and ALP all oppose the current plan forcing the dump on the Northern Territory."

Similar protests occurred simultaneously in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Perth and Brisbane.