The federal Labor government put a new law before the Senate on June 14 to set up a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory.

The same day, opponents of the radioactive waste dump plan gathered outside Parliament House in Canberra to protest.

Federal resources minister Martin Ferguson has said the government’s preferred site is Muckaty station, 100 kilometres north of Tennant Creek. The proposed bill also gives the government the go-ahead to set up dumps elsewhere in the NT.

The bill passed the House of Representatives in February, with the support of the Liberal and National parties.

The rally was endorsed by Beyond Nuclear Initiative, the Conservation Council of Western Australia, the Environment Centre of the Northern Territory, Friends of the Earth Australia, Japanese for Peace, the Medical Association for Prevention of War, the Public Health Association Australia, the Western Australian Nuclear Free Alliance and Unions NT.

Below are excerpts of the speeches delivered at the protest. The full-length speeches can be heard at http://beyondnuclearinitiative.com/audio

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Muckaty traditional owner Dianne Stokes: I’ve been travelling a lot ever since I went against the dump and I’ve been talking to my elders.

I’m standing here before the crowd: I come here with all the strength I have from my elders and the message they gave me was: “Be strong. Talk to these people. Tell them that we still don’t want the dump to come to Muckaty.”

Muckaty is a station, but around it is a land trust, an Aboriginal land trust. Inside it, we have the dreamings …

It’s my mum’s country. It’s my grandfather’s country. My little sister here with me, I asked her if she would come along with me and make a presentation here today.

I’d like to thank the traditional owners of this country and the spirit of this country. For the Aboriginal people that walked this country many, many years ago.

That makes me think of my people, how they walked through the country, along with their spirits and being very strong and living out there in the country, and giving birth to their babies in the country, and buried their people in their country.

This is a very strong country. Australia is very strong for Aboriginal people. I come here to say that we don’t want the waste dump. I’ve always said that.

We wanted the government to come and sit with us, talk to the traditional owners.

Muckaty Traditional Owner Kylie Sambo: I wrote some rap music about Muckaty and I’ve travelled from Tennant Creek to come here to speak on behalf of my elders.

I keep saying it over and over — we don’t want this poison in our land because our land means a lot to us. It’s just like the chorus of my song:

Don’t waste the territory
This land means a lot to me
Been living here for centuries
This place we call Muckaty