Antinuclear

Reacting to the citizens’ jury’s rejection of pursuing the industry and removal of SA Liberal support, Senator Xenophon has told The Advertiser his team of independents would campaign strongly against a dump at the next state election unless Labor dropped the idea.

After release of the Royal Commission report in May, Senator Xenophon said a statewide referendum was critical if a dump were to be built.

On Sunday, he said it must now be dropped.

“I always thought it was a stinker of an idea,” Senator Xenophon said.

“I asked for a referendum on the basis that the two major parties were going to support it.

“Now that the Liberal Party have come to their senses, and I hope Labor will as well, this should be buried for as long as they want to put waste under the ground — eternity.”

Senator Xenophon’s position is politically critical because he currently holds a three-vote balance of power voting bloc in Federal Parliament, and is gearing up for a state election campaign where polls show his team could threaten for a swag of Lower House seats……..

Cabinet meets on Monday for the second time since the jury report was handed down.

It is understood several ministers are now fundamentally opposed to storage, and previous backers believe the results of Premier Jay Weatherill’s consultation process have made any progress impossible……..

Senator Xenophon said he believed “whatever the Premier’s political pride is will now give way to his political survival instincts and they will drop the thing”, possibly as early as Monday.

“Otherwise this would have been the defining issue of the election,” Senator Xenophon said……

Friends of the Earth Australia national nuclear campaigner Jim Green said the Government’s consultation had uncovered a clear lack of public support for the storage industry.

“The people of SA have spoken, Aboriginal traditional owners who have always borne the brunt of the nuclear industry have spoken, Opposition Leader Steven Marshall has spoken, the citizens’ jury has spoken. Jay Weatherill must listen. It is time to dump the dump,” Dr Green said. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/nuclear-waste-storage-industry-in-sa-dead-for-eternity-senator-nick-xenophon-says/news-story/1ffdb8faa20ac1b0775540f6a959f1c7