No nuclear waste dump

by Christine Brown

"We got to talk to you over and over and over. The same words. And you 
don't listen. You give us poison straight out. It's enough you take over 
our country and now you don't listen." — Eileen Unkari Crombe was 
expressing her frustration about the Federal Government's refusal listen to 
the Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta's opposition to dumping nuclear waste in South 
Australia.

Since 1998, Arabunna, Antikarinya, Kokatha and Yankuntjatjara senior women 
from Coober Pedy have spoken out about the dangers of nuclear waste and 
have strongly opposed the dumping of waste on their land.

They know only too well how their life and land were put at risk by the 
actions of previous governments. Atomic testing occurred on their land at 
Emu Junction in 1953, prior to the more widely publicised events at 
Maralinga.

"All of us were living when the government used the country for the bomb. 
The government thought they knew what they were doing then", stated the 
Kungkas.

Health implications of these tests have been continually ignored by 
authorities. As Rebecca Bear-Wingfield explained: "We're now having to talk 
publicly about matters which we find very difficult to discuss, as a lot of 
the health problems from those bombs relate to damage of the female 
productive organs.

"We would never talk about these things in public before, but we feel we 
must now. Everyone will be at risk like our people were put at risk in the 
past. The dumps must be opposed, as radioactive waste doesn't 
discriminate."

This year's Federal budget allocated $9.9 million to build a shallow burial 
facility where nuclear waste will be placed for the next 300 years. It has 
been stated that the preferred site is 52A — defence land near Woomera.

This proposed central nuclear burial dump is very contentious. In 1995 a 
Senate Committee opposed such a method of burying nuclear waste, 
recommending instead above ground storage. The preferred site is 40km from 
Woomera, 10km from the site of the Japanese rocket launch that failed in 
July, and only 3km from a defence range target.

Even the Defence Department is concerned. It advises that there are an 
average of 60 weapons firings per year that could potentially strike the 
repository.

The Government estimates that 80 per cent of the waste will come from Lucas 
Heights in Sydney, where in April this year approval was given for the 
construction of a new nuclear reactor. Waste would need to be transported 
across great distances to reach the proposed dumping ground.

Residents in towns on the route have already stated their opposition to 
nuclear waste travelling on their roads. Eighty per cent of South 
Australians have expressed opposition to the dumps, and the State 
Government intends to proceed with legislation which would ban the 
importation and prohibit transportation of nuclear wastes.

Concerns from Aboriginal communities affected by the proposals have been 
largely ignored. The Government claims there were consultations, but the 
Kungkas dispute the Government's notion of consultation.

"The Government are not listening to Anangu (Aboriginal) people because 
they want to make money, and the Government are not listening to the land. 
They got to sit down and listen — take notice", the Kungkas said.

"The Government is supposed to help us, not by killing us. Listen to the 
Old People, the Aboriginal people. We had enough at Maralinga and Emu 
Junction. They never let people know. Never ask Aboriginal people. We never 
tell them to go ahead, wiya — no. This time we say no. But they are still 
coming. We say no!"

Since participating in cultural clearances, the Government is now saying 
that this shows that the Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta approve of the dumps.

Eileen Wingfield, a member of the group said, "We done a lot of those 
clearances and that. And we tried to tell them its all over, you know sites 
are all through there.

"We done all that but they just shift their pegs to one corner and they're 
not listening properly."

Her daughter, Rebecca Bear Wingefield, said "Misinterpreting our actions 
and words is nothing new. They still don't understand our responsibility to 
our land and why we do the things we do."

"Participating in these cultural clearances does not mean we support 
nuclear dumps in this area. In fact, nothing could be further from the 
truth."

"Our senior people participated in the clearances in order to preserve 
important cultural sites, for which they are responsible. In no way did 
these actions condone the use of the land as a nuclear dump."

The Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta remain strong in their opposition to the dumps.

"We know the stories of the land. We know that the poison will go down 
underground and leak into the water", they said.

"We say no radioactive waste in our ngura — in our country. We've been 
fighting this radioactive waste, this poison, for many years. Arguing about 
it, talking to people, asking people to help us. They might not help us, 
but they'll really be helping themselves. Whitefellas have got kids too, we 
all have to live in the country."

Community organisations and individuals are being urged to follow the 
example of many including the Sisters of St Joseph, a religious 
congregation within the Catholic Church who oppose the Federal Government's 
proposal and have responded to the environmental impact statement. Public 
submissions close on October 21.

Proformas for submissions can be downloaded from the Kupa Piti Kungka 
Tjuta's website: irati wanti — leave the poison. The regularly updated 
website is an excellent source of information on the dumps. The address is: 
www.iratiwanti.org

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The Koori Mail