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
This is a disgrace what you have proposed for this community. The process in undiplomatic and yet again undermines community welfare for corporate gain! Enough is enough! Listen to the people of the community and involve them in the process – the methods you have employed show the cowardliness of being!
Do not approve any new uranium mines anywhere worldwide or in Australia without conditions that within these short life projects there be capacity to store for disposal nuclear waste in the pit of where it came as uranium ore. If this is not approved by indigenous Australian’s, the project does not go ahead. Uranium miners need to take responsibility, voluntarily. Do we see any? They sell the ore. And benefit from it.
The World Nuclear Association best practice is deep geological disposal. Now, where is that? After 40 years of uranium mining and export from Australia to other countries, it means 40 years of legacy nuclear product waste. No trashcan. Kimba would not be it, as it will store intermediate level waste for 100 years. This is not a solution. Imagine how much that would be? Requiring somewhere else to put it. This is bucket passing.
Ban uranium mining and export until uranium miners as a duty of care to the planet become part of the nuclear waste discussion. Do we see any? Perhaps it is because, they do not have to. Nuclear waste becomes someone else’s problem.
Nuclear war will destroy this planet. There is no more timely a time to say this.
Indigenous Australian’s should be part to the discussion. Our planet needs repair. Australia should consider whether it should be a mine for other countries. For how long? Until the planet dies. It is screaming, help. Right now.
Start by banning uranium mining and export.
I do not believe buring this waste is any sort of solution but just a at this time fix. We need for more research to find a better way to dispose of this radioactive waste. I also believe we should be not mining uranium to service war mongers and making more waste. This planet is already in far to much danger already from climate and pollutions made by the greed of the few to the detriment of the many.
It is illogical to produce waste that takes longer than 1 lifetime to decay and is toxic.
For the safety of future generations create another risk free, secure area to store nuclear waste rather than transporting it to the Kimba region.
Nuclear waste should not be dumped/stored anywhere near habitation!
This is not only unnecessary and irresponsible it is hazardous. Please stop polluting our Earth!
We as humans are ruining our beautiful planet. Stop the greed!
One only needs to watch a documentary on the resulting health effects from the Chernobyl nuclear accident, to know that all things nuclear is man-man-idiocy. Fukushima is an ongoing world wide extinction level event. Only a greedy fool would sell-out their people for money. No nukes is good nukes.
Please help keep our beautiful county and life here safe. We have a fighting chance of our ecosystems and all species thriving if radioactive waste is placed in a more secure area – which doesn’t pose a threat to anyone. The community of Kimba will be at a most great risk if this goes ahead, so please reconsider your decision and find a better, safer solution.
Barbaric and disgusting treatment of people, land, water, current and future life. Desecration. Community is doomed