urg::: NT Govt won't give up nuclear waste dump fight : WA Greens back NT nuclear dump protests

[Justin Tutty]

ABC NT Local News,

Thursday 1 September 2005


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NT Govt won't give up nuclear waste dump fight

The Northern Territory Government has pledged to use every available 
trick to stop the Commonwealth building a nuclear waste facility in the 
Territory.

About 100 residents gathered in Darwin last night to discuss the 
proposed facility, which is to be built on defence land.

Mining Minister Kon Vatskalis promised the Government would obstruct and 
delay until the Commonwealth gives up.

"We are going to fight it, we are going to use your own legislation to 
delay it, we are going to use our own legislation, which as a matter of 
fact is not invalid," Mr Vatskalis said.

"Territory legislation that passes throughout the Territory Parliament 
is valid until it is overruled by special legislation in Canberra."

But the Country Liberal Party's federal Member for Solomon, Dave 
Tollner, says the Territory Government would be better off coming up 
with an alternative site.

"The Federal Government has very limited locations from which it can 
choose a repository," Mr Tollner said.

"The Northern Territory Government on the other hand has a greater 
degree of choice of land availability and knowing the best location to 
put it.

"My view is that they should work with the Commonwealth Government 
rather than fighting tooth and nail against us."

Meanwhile, the Western Australian Greens have urged Northern Territory 
residents to prepare for a long hard fight with the Federal Government 
over the dump plans.

Western Australia Greens Senator Rachel Siewert told the meeting 
defeating the plans could take years.

But she said the dump is now a national issue, not just a Territory one.

"It is part of plans to escalate the nuclear industry in Australia. It 
is absolutely essential that together we campaign to oppose this dump."

Senator Siewert told the meeting it might take years to defeat the plans 
and the rest of the country needs to join the fight.

"We can't knock this on the head if we don't look at the source and 
start also campaigning to actually decrease and stop the generation of 
waste in the first place, which is why the people near Lucas Heights [in 
Sydney] don't want this dump either," Senator Siewert said.

"It's because they know it is part of the chain that will inevitably 
lead to a nuclear reactor in Sydney."

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  WA Greens back NT nuclear dump protests

The Australian Greens say they will not stand by and let radioactive 
waste be transported through Darwin Harbour.

Western Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert is in Darwin to attend 
tonight's protest meeting against the Federal Government's proposal to 
build a nuclear waste facility in the Northern Territory.

Senator Siewert says the transportation of nuclear waste is one of the 
riskiest stages in the nuclear fuel chain.

She does not believe the the Northern Territory is an appropriate 
location for the dump.

"This is high level nuclear radioactive waste that they are talking 
about bringing into the Territory," she said.

"The Howard Government's been very cunning in reclassifying the waste. 
It is no longer called high level radioactive waste, but it is high 
level radioactive waste that will be coming into this proposed dump.

"If that is spilled the whole of this area is at risk."

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation has 
previously said there is little chance radioactive waste could spill 
while being transported.