Canberra rally against draconion nuclear waste dump legislation
June 14 Canberra rally | Beyond Nuclear Initiative, 23 May 11 In the June sittings of Parliament the Senate is set to debate the National Radioactive Waste Management Bill (NRWMB). This draconian piece of legislation would be used to impose a radioactive waste dump on contested Aboriginal Land at Muckaty, north of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.
The planned law breaks Labor’s clear election and policy commitments to manage radioactive waste in a transparent, accountable and fair way.
The Bill continues to override the Aboriginal Heritage Act and Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act during the site selection process. Minister Ferguson claims that procedural fairness and judicial review will be reinstated, but this is not the case for the current Muckaty nomination, the only site under active consideration.
The dump is proposed to be a 400 year “temporary” facility that would house the most radioactive waste produced in Australia- spent nuclear fuel from the Lucas Heights reactor- as well as the components of the decommissioned HIFAR nuclear reactor. In exchange, Traditional Owners were offered a mere $12 million in the form of roads, housing and education scholarship
You can’t close the gap by opening a dump.
Remote communities should have access to funds for basic infrastructure as citizenship entitlements. They should not have to relinquish land for long term, high impact projects. It is essential that we stand up and support the many Traditional Owners at Muckaty and other communities who are resisting this toxic trade off.
Converge on Canberra on June 14 and join Traditional Owners, trade unions, faith groups, health organisations, environment groups, students and the NT government in opposing this irresponsible radioactive waste dump plan.
For more information please contact natwasley(at)alec.org.au
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