THE Federal Government has called for tenders to design a radioactive waste dump.

And while Muckaty is not mentioned in documents, the site is the only one under consideration.

The Department of Resources has requested bidders to provide “a generic concept design for a facility comprised of a co-located low level waste repository and intermediate level waste store to effectively manage Australia’s current and projected radioactive waste inventory … [which] will include an outline of the suggested mode of operation of the facility.”

Up to $500,000 is up for grabs for the job.

The tender document states the establishment and operation of the facility on a ‘volunteered site’ was enabled by the passing of the National Radioactive Waste Management Act 2012 in April this year.

It also says the preferred concept should be appropriate for a site in arid to semi-arid areas of Australia.

And that it must “provide for a high degree of isolation of radioactive waste from the environment, especially groundwater” – an interesting task for contractors considering the water at Muckaty is close to the surface. In some areas of the nominated site it is just five metres below ground level.

The tender document specifies that the facility should have the capacity to store 10,000 cubic metres of low level waste and 1500 cubic metres of intermediate level waste including waste generated by the planned decommissioning of the reactor at Lucas Heights.

At present there are about 4,200 cubic metres of low level waste and 500 cubic metres of intermediate level waste in storage, destined to be transferred to the facility once it is built. This means the dump would be close to half full as soon as it opens.

Beyond Nuclear Initiative coordinator, Nat Wasley, said, in calling design tenders, the Government is putting the radioactive cart before the horse.

“Muckaty is subject to a Federal Court challenge and an ongoing community challenge,” she said.

“The NT Government is strongly opposed and trade unions, environment and health groups across the country have committed to stand up and stop the proposal.”

Ms Wasley said the Federal Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson, is making radioactive policy on the run, based on a political assumption that a remote site is needed and a miscalculation that people living nearby and those who are culturally connected to the area do not have the determination or capacity to defeat this proposal.

“The ANSTO application for interim onsite storage is an acknowledgement that successive government attempts to force a radioactive waste dump on unwilling remote communities have so far failed,” she said.

“In light of this application, expected to open for public comment this month, we don’t need a tender for a site that doesn’t exist.

“We need a process to manage the waste that does exist.”