Plans to fast-track Australia's first nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory are a betrayal of a Labor election promise, activists say.

Resources Minister Martin Ferguson told Fairfax newspapers yesterday he wants to speed up a decision for a dump. The Northern Territory is the most likely location for the dump, with four sites in the territory under consideration.

Ferguson's comments come after Labor committed before last year's election to overturn the Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act, the legislation which paved the way for the dump to go ahead.

Beyond Nuclear Initiative activist Natalie Wasley said: "This is a betrayal of a clear election promise."