Antinuclear

Australian government must stop picking on vulnerable postcodes for a nuclear waste dump

Western Australia in nation’s nuclear waste dump sights   SMH, Leanne Nicholson, 12 Nov 13 “…….About 10,000 44-gallon drums of nuclear waste are stored at Woomera, South Australia. In 2002 Woomera was selected by the Howard government as the proposed site for the national nuclear waste repository.

However, the announcement received fierce opposition from the South Australian government of the day and during a legal challenge, WA was named as a potential site if the Howard government failed to secure Woomera. After a Federal Court challenge by SA, the Howard government dropped the plan in 2004.

Mr Sweeney said there was no question Australia needed a storage facility but a change in approach by government to site selection was needed and more community consultation was required to secure a location. “This has been going on for 20 years and communities have been bombarded,” Mr Sweeney said.”There has always been this urgent need for politics and post codes, there’s got to be a mature way to handle this, a fair dinkum discussion, is needed.

“They need to move this obsession with selecting vulnerable postcodes. “No community should bear the brunt of this.

“Work with the community … It’s not A plus B equals waste dump.”

“Radioactive waste is a very difficult area but it’s not the only difficult areas the government has had to work out and you don’t solve them by making top-down hard decisions.”It’s a national issue, it’s a national responsibility, it’s a legacy for all Australians, so let’s get it right.

Fairfax Media has contacted the Australian Department of Resources Energy and Tourism and the WA Department of Finance for comment    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/western-australia-in-nations-nuclear-waste-dump-sights-20131112-2xdzn.html#ixzz2kYINbTw1

November 13, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, wastes