Consultants are expected to report back to the government this month on a series of sites investigated in the Top End, Fairfax newspapers reported today.

Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson told Fairfax he was keen to act soon after years of government indecision on the dump.

"I know I've got one of the tough decisions of this parliament. It's got to be done. You can't hide from your responsibilities and you can't play politics,'' Mr Ferguson said.

The site needed to be finalised before the next election because waste produced by the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor would be returned to Australia from Scotland and France from 2011, he said.

"It's about time we took the politics out of it and front up to our responsibilities. Let the Greens and the fringe groups play their little games; it's the responsibility of this parliament once and for all to resolve it,'' he said.

Mr Ferguson said the government could use legislation to force the dump into the NT without the support of its government by using laws enacted by the Howard government but that Labor promised it would repeal.

He promised to consult with affected parties but said he would not rule out locations case by case at this stage.

The Rudd government committed $1.4 million in the budget for an environmental impact assessment in 2008-09, with $2.4 million to complete it in 2009-10.