MUCKATY Station near Tennant Creek has been chosen as the preferred site for a national nuclear waste dump, the Federal Government admitted yesterday.

Resources Minister Martin Ferguson confirmed what Territorians had long suspected, that the site, on Aboriginal land near Tennant Creek, was the only place being considered.

Mr Ferguson said the Government will this week repeal the Howard government's Radioactive Waste Management Act, which overrode NT laws banning the transport and storage of nuclear waste.

But he said he would make sure his new regime had the same effect.

"Our new law will effectively have the same application as the previous government in respect of that area," he said. "In no way can we allow any state or Territory government to get in the way of establishing a repository."

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The Northern Land Council nominated Muckaty under a $12 million deal in 2007.

Chief Minister Paul Henderson said sites around the country should be considered. But he said the NT Government would not tamper with the assessment.

"There won't be any monkey business," he said. "We won't compromise our environmental assessment reputation."

But he said the area is also known as an earthquake hotspot and the water table is close to the surface.

The most recent earthquake there was last Tuesday, a 2.0 magnitude quake centred about 30km southwest of Tennant Creek.

Anti-nuclear campaigner Natalie Wasley said more than 50 family members associated with the Muckaty Land Trust have written to the minister opposing the dump.

"It's not a nomination that has the full consensus of all traditional owners," she said.

"It's a very small group within the land trust that have signed this agreement."

The dump will store low- and medium-level waste including gloves, glass, soil and reprocessed fuel rods from the Lucas heights nuclear reactor in Sydney.

Mr Ferguson said there was no pre-determined site - but only Muckaty was being considered. It will now receive scientific and environmental assessment, and community consultation. "If as we go forward and I come to the decision that it's not appropriate then I will look for other nominations," he said.

Three sites on Defence land in central Australia proposed by the former government would not be considered.