Two years of community resistance
Sunday 29th April 2018 marked two years since then Minister Frydenberg selected Barndioota in the Flinders Ranges as a possible site to dump and store Australia’s radioactive waste.
Members of the Flinders Local Action Group, No Dump Alliance and Don’t Dump on SA spent the weekend at the Adnyamathanha-run Wilpena Pound and in Hawker to raise awareness of the issue with locals and tourists alike.
Overseas visitors were surprised and horrified to learn about the federal government’s proposal to put a radioactive waste facility in the area and were happy to sign postcards being collected to send to Minister Matt Canavan to show their opposition to a nuclear waste dump in SA.
The cited employment and economic opportunities are modest: some short-term fencing and construction work and just 12 to 15 longer term security and maintenance jobs. In contrast, the South Australian Tourism Commission states that visitor expenditure in the Flinders Ranges is $415 million p.a. with 1,400 jobs directly in the tourism industry and 1,300 indirect jobs – a total employment impact of 2,700 people.
Current federal Minister Matt Canavan recently announced that an AEC community vote for a planned waste dump and store would begin on August 20th. This is despite the fact that there is currently a Senate Inquiry examining the flawed and divisive site selection process and exhibits no regard for recommendations which may arise from the inquiry that will not report to parliament until mid-August. The Minister has not clarified what constitutes ‘broad community support’ despite repeated community requests.
Minister Canavan recently visited the area but failed to consult with the Adnyamathanha people. In response, the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association (ATLA) released a short video message to the Minister.
Regina McKenzie, Adnyamathanha woman who lives next door to the proposed site, said “it’s been two years of the government not listening, they turn deaf ears towards the whole Adnyamathanha Nation who say no to the waste dump. We say no waste dump in our country”.
Greg Bannon, chair of the Flinders Local Action Group, said “this fight has been going since the site was shortlisted. For two years, the government has had a continual presence in district. The process has dragged on, but the government needs to know that we are committed to stopping this proposal. They have using a site selection model that has been tried and failed for years: forcing a radioactive waste dump on a remote community.”
Leading civil society organisations including environment, public health, Indigenous, trade union and faith groups all support an expert, open and independent inquiry into the full range of radioactive waste management options.
Antinuclear 
I hope australia will not allow itself to be turned into a huge radioactive waste zone, like the United States.
The teratogenic, gentoxic, mutagenic potential, of even some of the weaker radiation emitting radionuclides, is a billion times more potent than comparable genotoxic, teratogenic, mutagenic chemicals like agent orange.
All of murica is plagued by radioactive nuclear and radioactive medical waste. 1000 bombs exploded above ground. Many more underground.
100 crappy, old leaky reactors that constantly belch tritium dioxide into the atmosphere. Some of them clustered, like the 5 around chicago, that dump tritium other radionuclides into rivers and lakes.
There are Depleted uranium munitions set off on military bases aall over the United States.
There is Nuclear waste in municipal dumps, like st lewis, that is on fire. 170 millionn murican drink water, that is heavily contaminated with radium.
The colorado river and its drainage, is heavily contaminated with alpha emiiters from old uranium mines and mills in utah, wyoming, colorado, and new mexico.
All the thorium from welding rods in dumps. , Radium in water and gasoline from fracking, Americium in landfills from smoke.detectors. The plutonium from plants in oklahoma, washington, new mexico, tennesse, s carolina, livermore california, colorado, texas.
The shallow grave hi level and low level nuclear waste all over murica.
The large amount of hi level waste at every reactor, including those shut like san onofre. The outrage and insanity goes on and on. Americans are truly stupid bastards
I have t laugh , when I see a story about living in a radioactive zone like Fukushima or, the Ukraine, that do not include america as being a radioactive zone. It reminds me of how brain- washed and, what kind of propaganda bullshit muricans, allow themselves to be immersed in.
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