Wednesday, 13 May
The Australian Greens have raised serious concerns about the lack of notice or consultation with native title claimants or the Mid-West community around an application for a nuclear waste dump to be hosted in the region.
The application has been made by Gindalbie Metals, for an area lying within Badja Station in the Shire of Yalgoo.
"Over the last twenty years, Australia has seen a shameful succession of poorly conceived, coercive attempts to dump reprocessed spent fuel on Aboriginal lands," Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens nuclear spokesperson and deputy leader said today.
"If Minister Macfarlane's site selection process is not to end up repeating the dismal failures of the past, this kind of nomination will have to be set aside."
"Media reports quote spokespeople of the Widi Native Title claimants, indicating that they had no consultation or prior notice about this application. This is a deal breaker at the very first step of the process," Senator Scott Ludlam said.
WA Greens spokesperson on Nuclear Issues Robin Chapple MLC said the proposal contradicted the Nuclear Waste Storage and Transportation (Prohibition) Act 1999, enacted by the Liberal party, prohibiting nuclear waste storage in WA.
"Western Australia's stance on a nuclear waste dump is crystal clear," Mr Chapple said.
"Federal government consideration of a nuclear waste dump proposal that overrules state-enacted legislation will create unnecessary political turmoil for Western Australia.
"This is a blatant cash grab from a struggling company who has already received millions of dollars' worth of special royalty rebates from the state government.
"The only beneficiary of a nuclear waste dump in WA will be Gindalbie Metals' balance sheet.
"The state government needs to stand up and reaffirm its position on nuclear waste and expose this proposal for what it really is."
For comment please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255.
Media liaison: Tim Oliver // 0431 9696 25
