National and Territory environment groups today called on all candidates contesting the upcoming Northern Territory election scheduled for August 9, to oppose the Federal imposition of a nuclear waste dump on the people of the Northern Territory.

 "The NT election allows Territorians to send a strong message to Canberra that we don’t want a nuclear waste dump imposed on the Territory," Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC) Beyond Nuclear Initiative Project Coordinator, Natalie Wasley said today.

"In Opposition, Federal Labor promised to rip up John Howard’s plan to dump radioactive waste in the Northern Territory, but as a Labor Government, has failed to take the necessary action," Ms Wasley said.

"We’re calling on the leaders of the Northern Territory Labor Party and Country Liberal Party to publicly oppose any push from Canberra for nuclear waste to be imposed on the Northern Territory," Environment Centre of the Northern Territory Coordinator, Charles Roche said.

"With Prime Minister Kevin Rudd due to arrive in Darwin tomorrow, the Chief Minister should take the opportunity to personally tell Mr Rudd that the Territory will not take this Federal Waste dump," said ACF’s Nuclear-free Campaigner, Adele Pedder.

National and Territory Environment groups have called on the Rudd Government to:

1.  Repeal the Howard Government’s Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act 2005 (CRWMA);
2.  Repeal the four Territory sites nominated under the CWRMA; and
3.  Establish a public inquiry into the management of radioactive waste.

In the lead up to the Federal Election, Labor promised that a Rudd Government would repeal the Act, but to date this has not happened.

The Federal Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson, is continuing to investigate imposing nuclear waste on four Northern Territory sites, including Muckaty.

"Nuclear waste will be a major election issue and we call on all candidates to make their position clear," Ms Pedder said.