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NUCLEAR WASTE DUMPNo Nuclear Waste Dump for South Australia -- Frequently Asked QuestionsWhy does the Federal Government want a nuclear waste dump in our State?The Federal Government wants to put a nuclear waste dump in South Australia for two reasons. To compile all the low level waste stored in fifty locations around the country into one under-ground store and, secondly, so they can go ahead in the coming years to store higher level waste that comes from the Lucas Heights Nuclear Reactor in Sydney. This latter waste will remain far more dangerous for thousands of years. But the waste has to go somewhere, doesn’t Australia need a nuclear waste dump?The Minister responsible for the dump, Senator Nick Minchin has said that the low level nuclear waste, is safe where it is. There has never been an accident in the places where it has been stored and it is safe in its current locations. More to the point, the need for a higher level dump is necessary so that the Federal Government can go ahead with the approval of a second Nuclear Reactor in Sydney at a cost to the taxpayer of $A300 million. The approval of this reactor is conditional on having such a dump. How long is nuclear waste dangerous for and what damage can it do?Low level waste comes in many different forms and often is only dangerous for 30 years. High level waste is dangerous for up to 250,000 years. Although the outback is away from population centres, such waste if buried can still leak under ground into the soil and water systems and enter the food chain, polluting our environment and population. Leaks have occurred before in Nuclear Waste Dumps and no dump in the World has ever proven to be fool proof. How can anything be for 250,000 years? Hasn’t the Federal Government already consulted with South Australians on this issue?The Federal Government will tell you that they have consulted for a number of years in the lead up to this decision. In fact they employed Kinhill Engineering to do a restricted consultation of the dump site area including the towns of Roxby Downs, Coober Pedy, Andamooka and Woomera. At no time did the Federal Government consult with this State, even snubbing out State Government by not providing them with adequate information, as the Premier, John Olsen, pointed out in late 1999. The people of the towns affected have also regularly complained about their treatment at the hands of Senator Minchin, who structured ‘consultations’ with outback communities as information sessions only. The fact that local Councils of Whyalla, Pt. Augusta, Coober Pedy, Andamooka and Broken Hill have all passed resolutions opposing any dump indicates the Federal Government does not have the consent of the local people, nor that the information they have provided is satisfactory. Isn’t it our responsibility to accept nuclear waste from other States if we mine Uranium?Senator Minchin says that we do not have responsibility to accept nuclear waste from other countries, however he thinks South Australia should accept nuclear waste from other States. It is our responsibility first and foremost to find the safest option, which is not an underground waste dump hidden in the Desert for other generations to worry about. 'Out of sight out of mind' is not a responsible solution! Aren’t thousands of lives saved through nuclear medicine every year, so shouldn’t we have a responsibility to help out?Other countries such as New Zealand and the United States save just as many lives without generating these isotopes and instead import them from other countries, or even better, use isotopes developed from non-nuclear sources such as cyclotrons. If the Australian Government wanted a more economic solution it would develop a Cyclotron Centre in Sydney at a $30 million price tag to do the job, rather than $300 million for the new nuclear reactor. Hospitals in Melbourne and Sydney already use these cyclotron generated isotopes to save lives. What are the risks if we agree to a nuclear waste dump in SA?If we agree to this proposal, the risks of nuclear accidents of transport of waste through this State are inevitable. We will then get nuclear waste from Sydney’s Nuclear Reactor which will have to be monitored for hundreds of thousands of years. It will lead to pollution of our outback and conceivably our food chain. The effects for small business and tourism and our reputation as a clean green State will be spoilt forever. There are no guarantees from the scientists or the politicians that safe storage is possible for this length of time. We already have an area at Maralinga that has not been cleaned up properly and that Senator Minchin has said is too hard and expensive to fix. Don’t give him a second chance with a far more dangerous dump! The greatest risk is to future generations. We cannot leave a debt of this kind to our children. Can we stop the dump in South Australia?Prime Minister Howard says that even if all South Australians oppose the dump he may use Federal powers to ensure it goes ahead. If the Northern Territory can decide its own laws on mandatory sentencing, surely we can decide whether or not we get to be the national store for the deadliest pollution known to humankind. Politicians are the servants of the people and the anti-dumps campaign will remind them of this. Many SA Local Councils and our State Government are all working to stop the transporting and storing of nuclear waste in our State. Let’s get behind them and remind Canberra that we have a voice and that we won’t be intimidated on such an important issue. Are there better alternatives?There are far safer alternatives to what the Federal Government is proposing. Storing the waste as close as possible to the source of production, keeping it in close location where the scientific experts can monitor it, and ensuring minimal risks with transporting it long distances are all huge improvements on what’s being suggested. Above ground storage is safer, as it is easier to keep dry and far easier to monitor and rectify any problems that occur. We must say no nuclear waste dumps for Australia until we have a Government which is serious about the safe and proper storage of nuclear waste rather than burying it in the ground and burying their heads in the sand. How can I find out more about this issue or become involved?Contact: Australian Conservation Foundation --all at 120 Wakefield Street Adelaide SA 5000 Australia Ph: (08) 8232 2566 Fax: (08) 8232 2490
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