The Northern Territory Chief Minister, Clare Martin, has said she will fight “tooth and nail” the building of even a small nuclear waste facility in the Territory.
Australia produces nuclear waste at Lucus Heights., where the Sydney facility undertakes nuclear-related research including for diagnosing and treating cancer, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.
The preferred site for storing the waste from Lucas Height, which is apparently a Federal Government responsibility, is Woomera, but the South Australian government has said “no”.
The Northern Territory looks set to end up with the waste facility because the Commonwealth can force it on a Territory.
I have previously written that former Prime Minister Bob Hawke and researcher Geoff Hudson have both endorsed the Australian outback/the Northern Territory as a good place to store not only Sydney’s waste, but the world’s nuclear waste.
I was facinated to read today that an Aboriginal leader is now backing the concept of at least a small nuclear waste facility in the Territory.
According to ABC Online, Galarrwuy Yunupingu says he would be happy to consider a waste dump on his tribal land.
Mr Yunupingu said a [nuclear] dump on Gumatj Land could mean sealed roads, infrastructure and long-term benefits to Aboriginal people as well an oncology unit for Darwin’s Hospital.
He says the dump is an issue of national importance, with over 400,000 Australians receiving radioactive medical treatment each year.
He says Chief Minister Clare Martin should admit that a dump could be safely built in the Territory.
……….
I lived for the first few years of my life (1963-1971) at a place called Coomalie Creek just ‘around the corner’ from the first big uranium mine in Australia at Rum Jungle. The mine site has since been reabilitated and looks like this, View image (100kbs).
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
I don’t doubt that as long as his memeroy serves, Galarrwuy Yunupingu has endured the malignant burden of bureaucracy upon the spiritual lanscape of his ancestors.
Nevertheless, sealed roads, infrastructure and long-term benefits to his people are entirely possible in exchange for at least the percception of condemnation of his forebears.
As a measure of his political bona fides, he has challenged Chief Minister Clare Martin to both oppose the provision of an oncology unit within Darwin’s Hospital, but also to deny that a nuclear dump could be safely built in the Territory.
Overall; splendid behaviour for such a racially disenfranchised representative.
While there may be benefits to be gained here, surely we should be aiming for those benefits anyway, without having to accept the negative side of nuclear waste…
I wonder how ‘safe’ a nuclear waste facility would be as a target in a global conflict…perhaps Australia would become a target then for either side of the conflict to warn the other side off???
With Australia’s smallish population on global figures…how disposable would we be when the figures were added up and a nuclear waste facility for the world’s waste (Bob Hawke’s suggestion) was added to the mix? Certainly would prove to be a threat at that point wouldn’t it?