Planned nuclear dump moves south

It appears that South Australia, not Western Australia, is being 
targeted as the site for a nuclear dump. A confidential leaked consultants' 
report put together for the dump consortium Pangea, names South Australia 
as the target for the dump site.

The report says that the dump would be "a unique opportunity to break the 
long cycle of stagnation that has afflicted South Australia's economy and 
population for the last 30 years".

While Labor's Nuclear Waste Storage Facility (Prohibition) Bill is likely 
to be passed by both WA houses to become law, it does not preclude the 
transport of radioactive waste to a dump.

In addition, Pangea has not been concerned by the WA legislation and have 
reiterated their commitment to the dump.

British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) responded to a motion in WA Parliament 
opposing Pangea's plan thus: "We respect the position of your Western 
Australian Government. At the same time we trust that you will respect our 
position in continuing to study and to increase understanding of the wider 
issues."

The Anti-Uranium Coalition of WA (AUCWA), asks: might it be that the 
intended location for the dump is now SA, with the port of arrival of the 
waste and its transportation in WA?

"It is therefore imperative that the Federal, South Australian and Western 
Australian Governments legislate against all aspects of the dump, from 
shipping, transportation through to the burial of nuclear waste", says 
AUCWA.

Which is precisely what Federal Greens Senator Bob Brown put forward last 
week, calling on all independents and parties to unite in passing federal 
legislation to end Pangea's plans and "stop Australia becoming the world's 
nuclear waste bin".

Senator Brown will this week introduce a Private Senator's Bill amending 
the Customs Act to make nuclear waste a prohibited import.

"I challenge the government and opposition to pass the bill before 
Christmas and lift the nuclear threat hanging over the heads of all 
Australians, but especially those living in South Australia", said Senator 
Brown.

Deceit

From the beginning Pangea's dump plan has involved deceit and covert 
dealings. 

The consortium officially began operating here on November 28, 1997, 
although it has since been revealed that they had set up shop some time 
earlier.

In December 1998, their clandestine plan for the dump was thwarted by 
revelations in a promotional video from BNFL.

The leaked video identified that the dump would be accessed from Western 
Australia "with access from either the north-west or south-west".

In February 1999 the Anti-Uranium Coalition acquired a leaked document by 
consultants Access Economics describing the carrot being dangled before the 
WA Government: $36.2 billion to the Gross State Product over the period 
2000-2049, with a royalty of $300 million per annum to the WA Government to 
commence in the financial year 2008-9.

The Anti-Uranium Coalition says the WA anti-dump legislation is testimony 
to the hard work by all the community groups, councils and other 
organisation in WA, but "it now appears that there is still more effort 
needed to drive a stake through the heart of this monster".

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