Going nuclear
The safe storage of nuclear waste is under threat from pointless political manoeurvering. By James Mathias.
A little known problem that has been festering for more than 60 years is what to do with the low-level radioactive waste that has been accumulating in over 100 sites like hospital and university basements across Australia.
The waste is produced from the ever-advancing use of nuclear medicine, sometimes to specifically treat cancer conditions or for imaging purposes for lung scans, blood clots or to x-ray your pet. And whilst 95 per cent of Australia’s nuclear waste is low-level - consisting of gloves, needles and transport containers - for more than 40 years the Government has been searching for one dedicated site to build a storage facility.
Finally, after extensive engagement beginning in 2014 when 28 sites were nominated for a potential facility, the Morrison Government has decided on a dedicated facility to be built in Kimba, South Australia.
The announcement has received widespread support from the local community who voted 62 per cent in favour through an official AEC plebiscite after 59.8 per cent of submissions made on the legislation were in support of the facility.
However, despite this strong community support and the years of searching and planning for this site to be built, this non-controversial bill will face significant hurdles in the Senate as the Greens and Labor party manoeuvre to block its passage.
According to the dissenting report of the Greens into the Bill, the process should immediately halt. After 40 years of searching we are in need of establishing another formal inquiry investigating other options for the site.
Disgracefully, they also allege that this site, which is only ever going to take domestic waste, will become an international nuclear dump in their attempt to build local opposition to it. The Labor Party who initially indicated their support for the site have now backflipped in an attempt to out-green the Greens.
All of this means that every day more radioactive waste is being stored in basements across Australia as we have no dedicated facility to house it. It is no small problem considering that alone, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) produces 30 litres of immediate-level and 15 litres of low-level waste that’s stored in 8,426 drums across their various buildings.
Further, the site comes with a significant support package and economic lifeline to the community of Kimba that will support 45 permanent jobs when the site is completed. $31 million is coming the town’s way that will contribute to sustainable health services, agriculture research and development, enhancements to local critical infrastructure and further development of the local indigenous economy.
It is the exact process of governing through committee that has prolonged this important decision for so long, and if Labor and the Greens are to have their way, we may be waiting yet more decades to finally have a solution.