JULIA Gillard's rise to Prime Minister has sparked a new debate over where to locate a nuclear waste dump.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson wants the new PM to review the decision to build a waste facility at the Aboriginal-owned Muckaty Station in the Top End.

Mr Henderson wants Labor to stand by its 2007 election promise for a science-based process in selecting a site, not the "put up your hand" approach that had gained currency under former PM Kevin Rudd.

But with past scientific assessment declaring Woomera in South Australia as the best option, Premier Mike Rann was quickly on the defensive, saying a nuclear waste dump would jeopardise his state's clean, green reputation.

"Together with our status as the only mainland state to be GM-free, that reputation is critically important to marketing our food and wine around the world," Mr Rann said yesterday.

"We took the Howard government to the High Court to stop the nation's nuclear waste dump being set up in this state.

"We won decisively in the courts, forcing (Senator) Nick Minchin and Co to back off and back down." he said. "Federal Labor was strongly supportive of our position."

NT federal MP and Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon said Mr Henderson would have been wiser to "talk to a few other people" before going public.

"I can understand why he's doing it because there are some concerns," Mr Snowdon said. "But it has never been 100 per cent certain Muckaty will be the site."

Mr Snowdon was critical of South Australia's previous legal action to prevent a waste dump being sited at Woomera.

"South Australia wants to mine uranium, it has the biggest uranium mine in the world, but it doesn't want to have any responsibility for the by-products," Mr Snowdon said.

"The fact is we need a national facility to meet our national responsibilities."