Open letter:
"As people from all across Australia, we call on the federal government and Resources Minister Madeleine King to stop the double-handling and relocation of radioactive waste to a highly contested regional facility proposed near Kimba in regional South Australia.
The Intermediate Level Waste should remain where it is securely stored at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's Lucas Heights facility, pending the outcome of an open review of future management options to identify a credible long-term solution. It's time for us to advance responsible waste management that keeps communities and nature safe."
A waste dump in Kimba would be bad news
The Morrison Government committed to a deeply flawed national plan to dump radioactive waste in one of our regional communities – near 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 face such an intergenerational burden, especially when most have not had a say and the Barngarla Native Title holders are explicitly opposed to the plan.
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.
Storing 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’.
As well as lacking a clear rationale, the federal plan inherited from the Morrison government is also deficient in relation to community consultation and consent Barngarla Traditional Owners were excluded from a Kimba community ballot, and communities across South Australia and along potential transport corridors have not had a say in the plan.
Instead, let's call on the Minister to embrace evidence-based, responsible waste management.
Sign the open letter now asking Resources Minister Madeleine King to keep the radioactive waste securely stored at the best place until we adopt a credible and evidence-based approach to long-term waste management.
Latest Supporters
There is no safe way to store nuclear waste into the future as humans are constantly failing in their endeavours to mitigate risk , any construct will break down tens of thousands of years before the waste could be classified as safe and we are not only failing our own children of our species but all other innocent species that SHARE this planet ,, we should be trying to come up with shared understanding to collectively look after this planet, in every corner and not create toxic waste sites ,, let us not perpetuate insanity and wake up to our fear based stupidly and always work to look after the land , not destroy it
The people creating it, & legislating for it, should store it in their own backyards if its such a safe, clean & green process. Let alone the waste from nuclear subs we don’t need. Backdoor politics…
Rather than somewhere to put it, store it, and then do it all over again.
Ban uranium mining until this is found. Do not approve further uranium mines. Get uranium miners into the discussion. What would they do with it? Perhaps they need to build nuclear waste dumps, pay for them and have the solution. Cradle to grave? 40 years ago, nuclear waste was someone else’s problem tomorrow.
I want responsible Nuclear waste management because I want communities to live in a safe, healthy and clean environment. Leave it at ANSTO, and leave the Rural Aboriginal communities to live in peace without worry.
This will open up the door for the much anticipated International Uranium Dump site (bringing in Trillions of revenue for the Australian Government) once a NATIONAL site is insitu… Australia DOES NOT need this site regardless of what the Atomic energy Agency is now suggesting… Australia does not even use nuclear energy for power LEAVE it at LUCAS HTS
I want responsible waste management that does not damage soil, air or water and the DNA of all living systems of plants, animals and people, and keeps us and future generations safe
Nuclear is not the future. Renewables don’t need to be toxic & potentially deadly.
I want responsible waste management because it’s my planet too.
Responsible waste management is essential for the future of the planet and MUST include meaningful and comprehensive community buy-in. The current proposed location at Kimba does not have support from Traditional Owners so must be abandoned.
Let’s find alternatives, surely this is not the best we can do.
We do not have legitimate authority to make this decision for countless future generations
Kimba is our pantry not their toilet.
9980 Drums of radioactive material, many rusting and exposed to the elements at Woomera have taught us that isolation doesn’t negate the necessity of rolling stewardship.
ANSTO, Lucas Heights is Australia’s most logistically centralized radioactive dump based on volume per kilometer transported and should remain so.
I want safe responsible waste management because everyone deserves to live safely and in a healthy environment. It is a right, not a privilege. Store it at ANSTO. Don’t take sort cuts to save money. This is too important.
Nuclear waste has a half life well beyond our lifetimes, and we have no right to make decisions detrimental to future generations.