Crisis of confidence in the process of #NuclearCommissionSAust
Submission to the South Australian Nuclear Fuel Chain Royal Commission, by Senator Scott Ludlam
Extract The Australian Greens have cautiously welcomed the idea of a Royal Commission to settle the issue of the nuclear industry in Australia once and for all.
For decades there have been the protagonists for and against the industry. There have been reports and case studies, public debates, political debates but nuclear power always comes up as unfeasible and hugely unpopular.
It is disappointing that this opportunity to examine the industry has been designed to exclude so many important issues and many voices on those issues. The process, independence and good fa ith of the Royal Commission has been damaged by narrow terms of reference, an unbalanced expert panel and consultation failures in remote and regional communities.
The terms of reference have been designed to exclude any review of the existing problems with uranium mining and waste management, the ongoing costs and liabilities from closed mines and processing facilities- costs that are left to the tax-payer.
The panel is in no way independent or balanced; it has been dominated by the nuclear industry and their advocates. We note complaints from Aboriginal communities in South Australia about the first round of ·engagement. Many people did not know about hearings or had limited warning about hearings. Others have not been given access to documents and or do not have access to the Internet, or do not speak English. We have had reports that hearings have been held in pubs at 11am – completely inappropriate for working people, and those who wouldn’t set foot in a pub.
There have been significant barriers put up for people in remote and regional communities. Inaccessible meetings and information, language barriers and the added constraint of getting submissions approved by a justice of the Peace all serve to exclude participation in the process. People in remote areas of SA have been most affected by South Australia’s involvement in the nuclear industry, and they are also the ones who are most likely to be affected by any future industrial nuclear activities. We are at a point where is a crisis of confidence in the process…..”
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1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 
Granted the Nuclear Industry and their Political influence is huge but that does not make Nuclear the best choice for now or the future, just the most “promoted”, which is why I coined the term Nuclear Payback*. because it identifies the reason the real reason why so many support Nuclear, they are or expect to receive something in return.
Day by day support for using Nuclear is declining globally because people realize that despite what the Nuclear Industry says, nuclear is not only becoming too expensive but it poses a real threat to everyone on the Planet.
You can quote warm fuzzy platitudes or tired old claims but they will not change the fact that ever more people just do not trust the Nuclear Industry when it comes to safety, since they have a track record of covering up, especially after an accident – Fukushima is a perfect example.
Now the Japanese Gov’t (who owns TEPCO) is cracking down on Free Speech in order to protect their Nuclear Utility “Gangs”, so it is no wonder that ever more people see Nuclear as something that is being forced upon them by a Government that is being manipulated by an Industry that is connected to the Military and those that seek or already possess Nuclear weapons.
People want Peace, not War and they also realize that using Nuclear just makes it easier for those in Power to gain new or Bigger Nuclear weapons, which will then be used for some reason, somewhere, by someone, and that is unacceptable.
N☢ Nuclear Reactors reduces the chances of a nuclear accident or “Event” and one thing that the Planet does not need is an “unscheduled Sunrise”. If you are as smart as you claim I would promote tripling Nuclear Safety, especially against Cyber Attacks because it would make our reactors safer but I bet that even you would get the “cold shoulder” since that would just increase costs since the Nuclear Industry/Utilities are far more concerned with their bottom line than they are on additional safety, which most of them see as unnecessary.
* http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Nuclear+payback
Those that support nuclear power because nuclear power somehow supports them; no matter what the health implications or other “costs” are for others.
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