Ferguson owes Traditional Owners a Waste Dump Apology
Senator Scott Ludlam
The Australian Greens
"This government started its term in office with an apology to Aboriginal people. Martin Ferguson is rehearsing for a repeat performance over his handling of radioactive waste," says Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.
Senator Ludlam will today table a letter in the Senate signed by 57 Aboriginal Traditional Owners of the Muckaty Land Trust area in the Northern Territory, imploring Resources Minister Martin Ferguson to meet with them.
"There is an edge of desperation in this letter. Their land has been targeted for a nuclear waste dump for two years. The government's refusal to talk to them is causing enormous stress: it is time for the Government to admit that with strong opposition from local Traditional Owners, there is no way the Government can construct a radioactive waste dump on their land."
"It is long past time that the Rudd government upheld its election promise to repeal the Howard legislation imposing a nuclear waste dump on unwilling communities. When the Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act was passed Labor called it 'draconian', 'sordid', 'arrogant' and 'profoundly shameful'. They were right."
"The Muckaty dump nomination is highly contested. A Senate Inquiry into the issue exposed the process as rotten. A secret anthropological report has been used to divide the community and exclude many senior Aboriginal people from a process which would see the nation's most dangerous industrial waste hosted on their land. This highly coercive process must end now."
The letter to Minister Ferguson from Traditional Owners can be downloaded from http://greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/ferguson-owes-traditional-owners-a-waste-dump-apology
Senator Ludlam will today table a letter in the Senate signed by 57 Aboriginal Traditional Owners of the Muckaty Land Trust area in the Northern Territory, imploring Resources Minister Martin Ferguson to meet with them.
"There is an edge of desperation in this letter. Their land has been targeted for a nuclear waste dump for two years. The government's refusal to talk to them is causing enormous stress: it is time for the Government to admit that with strong opposition from local Traditional Owners, there is no way the Government can construct a radioactive waste dump on their land."
"It is long past time that the Rudd government upheld its election promise to repeal the Howard legislation imposing a nuclear waste dump on unwilling communities. When the Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act was passed Labor called it 'draconian', 'sordid', 'arrogant' and 'profoundly shameful'. They were right."
"The Muckaty dump nomination is highly contested. A Senate Inquiry into the issue exposed the process as rotten. A secret anthropological report has been used to divide the community and exclude many senior Aboriginal people from a process which would see the nation's most dangerous industrial waste hosted on their land. This highly coercive process must end now."
The letter to Minister Ferguson from Traditional Owners can be downloaded from http://greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/ferguson-owes-traditional-owners-a-waste-dump-apology