New waste dump Federal Minister should review predecessor's pronouncement and waste dump assessment tender update.

Urged to visit the NT and hear from local communities.

The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory (ECNT) says the new Federal Minister responsible for the proposed Commonwealth radioactive waste dump in the NT, Hon. Julie Bishop, should not accept her predecessor’s pronouncement that a dump would be located in the NT.

ECNT Coordinator Peter Robertson said Ms Bishop appeared to have a keen sense of the need for community engagement and participation in Commonwealth decision making and for that reason she should put the dump on hold and visit the NT to meet with local communities and other participants in the waste dump debate.

“In her ‘maiden’ speech to Federal Parliament in 1998 Ms Bishop stated: ‘A deficit in trust [of government] can be made up not only by improved performance but also by greater public participation in the decisions… For us, as Federal parliamentarians, to remain effective we must keep close to our constituents. We must be part of our local communities, not remote; be in tune with our communities, not out of touch.’

“Not only should the new Minister review decisions in relation to the waste dump, but there needs to be a rethink of the whole issue of the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor – the main source of radioactive waste for the dump - which is strongly opposed by local communities in Sydney because it is not needed for medical isotopes, is a waste of hundreds of millions of dollars and poses a risk to people and the environment.”

Tender Update

“The Environment Centre understands the Commonwealth tender for the assessment and selection of a site for the NT waste dump will be announced in the next week or so. ECNT will investigate the track record of the company chosen to do the work, and urge the NT Government not to hand over the data it holds on the geology, hydrology etc of the identified sites. There is no way the NT Government should help the Commonwealth carry out this investigation by providing vital information that would take the Commonwealth years to acquire from scratch. In that regard we take comfort from the Chief Minister’s statement of December 7 that the Commonwealth should not expect any cooperation from the NT government over the waste dump.”

Further comment: Peter Robertson 8981 1984 / 0409 089 020