Antinuclear

This bone fragment may be a game changer for the Adnymathanha people, amidst rising tensions in the Flinders Ranges region over the proposed location of the national nuclear waste facility on Wallerberdina station.

The site was picked late last month by the Federal Government out of six properties voluntarily nominated around Australia for the long term storage of low level nuclear waste and temporary storage of intermediate level waste.

The facility will take up 100 hectares of the 6000-plus hectare property, but an exact location is yet to be determined.

While native title does not apply to the land –  which is crown land on a perpetual lease to former Liberal Senator Grant Chapman- state heritage protections still apply.

Regina Mckenzie lives on the property next door at Yappala station- one of just 72 sites nation-wide listed as an Indigenous protected area, due to its cultural and environmental significance.

She says that doesn’t stop at the fence line, with a 70 kilometre songline running right through the Wallerberdina property all the way down to Lake Torrens, with many sites yet to be recorded.

“We’ve got cave paintings in around the corner, and we’ve got archaeology and we’ve got rock carvings up there on that hill, we’ve got graves, we’ve got ancient graves,” says Regina.

“This is what I want to protect, our ancient people’s burials… and I don’t want nobody touching these people, it’s too important.”

A South Australian Department of State Development spokesperson confirmed that there are three Aboriginal sites that fall within the Barndioota nomination area- two cultural and one archaeological…livelihood.”…..http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/the-point-with-stan-grant/article/2016/05/10/ancient-aboriginal-skull-bone-found-proposed-nuclear-waste-site?cid=cxenseab_b&cx_navSource=related-side-cx#cxrecs_s