Antinuclear

The Northern Land Council and federal government recently sent a delegation to Spain to inspect a nuclear waste facility. The NT news reported on Thursday April 4 [“Top End Team inspects Spanish Nuclear Dump”] that 28 people travelled, including government officials and Traditional Owners. The resources used in taking such a large delegation overseas is a stark indication of political and financial investment in the Muckaty site dump going ahead – at any cost. In stark contrast, Traditional Owners opposed to the waste dump continue to fundraise themselves for interstate trips and initiatives to highlight their opposition.

In discussing the trip, the NT News said federal scientists have stated other sites are ‘better’ than the one currently being assessed. This raises and reinforces very important questions: If not the best site scientifically, why is the current Muckaty site still being forcefully pursued? Has there been an official study done on these other potential sites so they can be properly compared? Are site study reports available to the public like the ones relating to the current nomination?

With federal court proceedings around the current site likely to take years, the interim time should be used for an independent commission into radioactive waste management that is transparent, inclusive of stakeholders and broad-ranging, rather than choosing a site considered politically expedient and hoping the science will match up.

Traditional Owners have vowed to contest the nomination of any further sites on Muckaty and have called for support to make their demand heard loudly around the country :  No nuclear waste dump ANYWHERE on Muckaty.