urg::: NT News - thursday 1 sept

[Justin Tutty]

NT News
Thursday 1 September 2005-09-02

Fallout fears on exports

Minister’s beef with waste

By Stephen Johnson

Beef exports would plummet after a nuclear waste storage facility was 
built in the Territory, a Government minister told a public forum last 
night.

NT Mines and Energy Minister Kon Vatskalis said rumours would be spread 
overseas about contaminated water in the Territory.

‘Who wants to buy cattle from the Territory when they have radioactive 
waste?’ Mr Vatskalis asked an audience at the Crowne Plaza in Darwin.

‘Would you buy it? I wouldn’t.’

More than 110 people were at the forum, organised by the Environment 
Center of the NT, which federal Science Minister Brendan Nelson declined 
an invitation to attend.

Solomon MHR David Tollner attended but instead of speaking he issued a 
flyer that said a low- and intermediate-level disposal facility was 
necessary to store radioactive waste from Sydney’s Lucas Heights reactor.

‘The highest international standards will be met to ensure safety and 
environmental concerns’, the flyer said.

Australian Conservation Foundation anti-nuclear campaigner Dave Sweeney 
urged Territorians to keep fighting the waste disposal proposal, and 
cited South Australia’s successful opposition.

Labor Senator Trish Crossin said sites that were considered unsuitable 
last year, such as Mount Everard, 42km northwest of Alice Springs, were 
now on the short list of three possible sites.

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Nuclear waste threat to Darwin harbour

Darwin could become the ‘nuclear hub’ of Australia, a Greens Senator 
said yesterday.

Rachel Siewert said radioactive waste would be shipped in through Darwin 
Harbour if a nuclear waste facility was built in the Territory.

‘There would be thousands of shipments of nuclear waste’ she said.

‘The transport is the most risky part of the nuclear chain.’

‘If there was an accident, the whole harbour would be at risk.’

‘It would be impossible to clean up.’

Senator Siewert, who was in Darwin for last night’s anti-nuclear rally, 
said the Federal Government should invest money in renewable energy 
sources.

The senator denied the Greens had lost the argument over the safety of 
nuclear power.