Martin Ferguson’s secret meetings on nuclear waste dump
Muckaty firms as nuclear dump Northern Territory News DANIEL BOURCHIER February 21st, 2010 MUCKATY Station is this week expected to be named as the site for the controversial nuclear waste dump.The revelation follows a series of secret meetings Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson held with the Northern Land Council, and separately with NT Chief Minister Paul Henderson and Resources Minister Kon Vatskalis.
Beyond Nuclear Initiative campaigner Natalie Wasley said a decision wasn’t expected before Wednesday as Federal Government caucus meets on Tuesday and the decision would need to be ticked off…………..
Minister Ferguson’s spokesman Michael Bradley said the Government had committed to repeal the Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act 2005 and would do so this week.
When asked repeatedly if the Government would make an announcement about Muckaty being the chosen site this week, Mr Bradley repeated the line about repealing the previous legislation.
Mr Bradley would not confirm the Minister visited the Territory, nor that he met with the Government and NLC – which has been brokering the deal with some traditional owners in the area.
Both the Territory Government and the NLC confirmed they met with Minister Ferguson during the week – neither would elaborate on the subject of the meetings
2 Comments »
Leave a reply to Cath Cancel reply
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 
If you are any of your family have ever had a nuclear medicine scan like a bone scan or a brain scan then this has contributed to the kind of waste that will be disposed of at whichever site is chosen. To oppose it is like going to the toilet whilst fighting to ban sewage treatment works, or chucking your rubbish in the bin but saying it should go to a landfill in another state. Try keeping all YOUR waste in your house because there’s no where to send it. That’s what hospitals and research institutes have been doing with their radioactive waste for decades – do you think that’s safer than a properly designed waste disposal site?
LikeLike
Of course a “properly designed” waste dump must be arranged, to cope with medical radioactive waste, (but so far no-one has designed a real solution, anyway).
My objections to the Muckaty waste dump plans are:
1. It is being imposed upon the Northern Territory, which, unlike the States, cannot over-ride the Federal Govt, – and it involves bribery of aboriginals (no whites would have it!)
2. It is almost certainly the precursor to a plan to take in other overseas nuclear waste as part of Australia’s uranium industry.
As to medical radiation. Medical isotopes can be obtained without the use of a nuclear reactor. Medical radiation is the “fig-leaf” on the nuclear industry.
I do not deny the usefulness of SOME medical radiation. But medical radiation is over-used, is often unnecessary, and often poses risks to the patient, the patient’s family, and to nurses and other staff, and to those dealing with the eventual wastes.
LikeLike