Open letter:
"As people from all across Australia, we call on the federal government and Resources Minister Keith Pitt to keep the radioactive waste securely stored at Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation purpose-built facility and out of our regional communities, including Kimba, South Australia.
The waste cannot be dumped on our communities until a credible long-term solution is found."
A waste dump in Kimba would be bad news
Resources Minister Keith Pitt is committed to a deeply flawed national plan to dump radioactive waste in one of our regional communities – most likely the town of Kimba in South Australia.
Radioactive waste risks our air, soil and water. It damages the genetic and reproductive systems of plants, animals and people. And this waste lasts for up to ten thousand years.
Our communities should not be at risk at being exposed to something so dangerous.
95% of Australia’s most serious radioactive waste is currently managed at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s (ANSTO) Lucas Heights site in southern Sydney.
This is the best place to store our worst waste until a lasting solution is adopted.
Dumping the waste in a regional community, and double handling it is unnecessary and irresponsible – especially as our federal nuclear regulator has confirmed it can be safely stored at ANSTO ‘for decades to come’.
The federal plan also lacks a fair process and consideration.
Barngarla Traditional Owners were excluded from a Kimba community ballot, and after previously being ruled out as a potential waste site by the government, the Flinders Ranges is back on the table as a possible location for the waste facility.
Instead, let's call on the Minister to embrace evidence-based, responsible waste management.
Sign the open letter now asking Resource Minister Keith Pitt to keep the radioactive waste sealed away and out of our communities.
Latest Supporters
no to uranium mining, no to nuclear power, stop selling uranium.
This is a bad plan and will expose our communities to unacceptable risk.
Keep it were it is.
Do NOT make more.
Stop destroying Aboriginal land. Thank you.
We are constantly told by our government, the big search is over. Perhaps government should have planned for nuclear waste disposal 40 years ago, when approving uranium mines. This would be someone else’s problem tomorrow. Two sites may be required. If Kimba is selected for PERMANENT disposal of low level nuclear waste. Intermediate waste, as announced, will be only TEMPORARILY STORED, for 1-300 years. Who would want to do this anytime soon? This is not the ONLY solution.
Why ask farmers to volunteer their farms, between farming land? Who suggested this? This would not be the only option. Why not ask uranium miners to volunteer their emptying mines. These pits have short lives of about 30 years. Place the stuff back into the hole of where it came as uranium, siphon tailings on top, rehabilitate. Why harm new environment when all are trying to save our planet? This dilemma would not exist, if 40 years ago uranium mines, WITHIN THE APPROVAL came with a clause, that any legacy waste would go back into the empty hole. Where else would one put it? Australia owes the world a duty of care solution. Or ban uranium mining and export. It concerns me that Australia may be struck by a nuclear missile one day, produced from our iron ore and uranium. Nuclear State. Glow in the dark registration plates next, or masks to promote it. I live in South Australia. I believe uranium miners need to take some responsibility for disposal of legacy uranium waste. They sell and benefit from it. But others have to do the disposal dirty work. This is unacceptable in 2021. All uranium mines are modelled on the capacity of the tailings dams, these dictate the timeline of the mine, otherwise these need expansion. This is known at the time of approval. Expanding tailings dams have consequences. We know this. There are precedents worldwide. When dam is full, project is over. Uranium goes hand in hand with nuclear. One cannot have one without the other. Cradle to grave projects would be the way forward. Asking towns to host nuclear storage is not an Olympic win or game. As precedent South Australia stored nuclear waste at Radium Hill, in the hole or void of Australia’s uranium mine. Here is an answer. Why build monuments to nuclear waste? This is all business. Any simple solutions, no one wants.
Ask uranium miners to be a mandatory part of the discussion. The trashcan is the empty uranium mine. Other ores as bonus. It may take as long to fill as it did to mine. The required transport infrastructure and town may be there already. Repurpose. Reverse. Rehabilitate. Sure, some may not want nuclear waste in South Australia. Another option would be to open new uranium mines in other States, and they can take all residue waste as part of the bargain. Governments will do what they want, regardless of whether it was by exclusion, bait or ambush. This is how I see it. The answer is always. We did it for jobs. I often wonder, if there is any other model. Citizens will save our planet, not governments. Someone highlighted this to me, and said, they hand out money and approve.
Australian citizen living in New Zealand for past 40 years. Appalled by this proposal.
The Nuclear Dump for Kimba has just been upgraded! Nuclear Submarines!
Napandee: My Dear Father-in-law Norm Nielsen farm. He would be weeping in his grave! Angus cattle stud man with Felix Grand Champion of Tasmania in 1976.
South Australia the Nuclear State!
You’ll have to change your number plates!
What a proud Green Image you project for the sheep grain Kimba District – bribed! A bunch of neolibs!
Congratulations Rowen Ramsey, you use to be our friend – fed you pizza every week for years!
If only I’d known what I know now. Vote for a independant candidate. It is the only hope for Australians now.
Essential reading: ‘Our Exceptional Friend.’
Australia’s fatal alliance with the United States. written by Emma Shortis
‘Sold Down the River’ privatization of our Australian water sold to neolib Americans!
I say No to any nuclear power plants or waste disposal outlets in our Australia. Stay with fossil fuels until the true free energy is released to the public.
everyone on all the transport routes should have a vote as well as the Barngala people and everyone within 100 km of Kimba township.
there is not “broad community support” for the dump . about 54% voted yes and they were mainly in the township not the farming land. Stop fudging the facts
Future generations of people and many other species will suffer if our generation continues to generate, transport and dump radioactive waste. The arbitrary line drawn around Kimba to prevent First Nation and Farming communities from participating in the recurrent voting was unjust.
May winning the Right to Judicial Review force State and Federal Governments to listen to such affected communities and develop an informed and evidence-based analysis on the merits and risks of transporting radioactive waste long distances over land and sea, compared with maintaining it in safe storage at ANSTO.
Please heed the wishes of our First Nations. Many communities have already suffered enough (Maralinga, Roxby, Rum Jungle…)
Regards,
Philippa Rowland