On Tuesday I stood in Parliamentary debate saddened and disappointed by the announcement from the Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson.

The hollow part of the Minister’s announcement related to “The National Radioactive Waste Management Bill 2010 also recognises that Ngapa land on Muckety Station was a volunteer nomination by the Northern Land Council in 2007 and that the Commonwealth entered into a Site Nomination Deed in relation to that land.”

The Minister’s announcement went on to state, “the deed has no termination date and the parties to it have the reasonable expectation that the Commonwealth will act in good faith and good spirit to implement the 2007 agreement.”

As the Member for Barkly and as a Minister in the Northern Territory Government I will continue to oppose a nuclear waste dump being forced on to the Barkly.

I’ve lived in the Barkly for 30 years; I have worked here the entire time and raised a family here.

Many Barkly constituents will be angry with the announcement that Muckety Station in the Barkly is the only site to be considered in the first instance for a nuclear waste dump.

The Territory Government’s position hasn’t changed – we have always opposed a nuclear waste dump being forced on the Territory and we will continue to do so.

We have always said the site of a nuclear waste dump should be determined by science, not politics.

I welcomed the repeal of the Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act 2005 that could have forced a nuclear waste dump on the Northern Territory as the Howard Government’s legislation had removed the rights for the Northern Territory Government in relation to environmental and heritage assessments, and the normal rights of administrative appeal.

However, the sad reality remains the same, with no other volunteer sites currently on offer a nuclear waste dump could be located in the Territory.

The Federal Minister stated that proper consultation will be followed and a significant and robust environmental process will need to be undertaken.

As such, I believe science should determine where the nation’s nuclear waste dump should go and multiple sites must be considered.

An expression of interest process should be put in place across the country whereby land owners can nominate sites to host this facility; this is a national debate on matters of great importance for all Australians as we advance into an undetermined nuclear future including the matter of national security.

Together with my Territory Labor colleagues I will continue to oppose a nuclear waste dump being imposed on the Territory.

I believe singling out Muckaty Station is wrong and the decision about where our nation’s nuclear dump is situated is too important to get wrong.

I believe most Territorians don’t want it, the Henderson Government doesn’t want it and I certainly don’t want it.