2016-05-09
The Australian Greens have cautioned the South Australian Labor Government against rushing to a point of no return on international radioactive waste, with the release today of the final report of the SA Royal Commission into the expansion of the nuclear industry.
"The proposal to dump international nuclear waste into an 'interim' store in South Australia is fatally flawed. Nuclear waste is an intergenerational liability, not a short-term asset," the Greens' nuclear spokesperson, Senator Scott Ludlam said.
"If pro-nuclear advocates were expecting Mr Scarce to usher in a new era of nuclear power and nuclear reprocessing they will be grievously disappointed, but allowing a foot in the door for nuclear waste poses unique risks to South Australia.
"If this waste is so valuable, it is hard to imagine why countries would pay us to take it away. The real reason the industry is desperate to get this waste out of sight and out of mind is stark: they still have no idea how to contain and isolate this material for thousands of years."
South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said that the Labor and Liberal unity ticket on turning SA into a nuclear waste dump meant the Greens were the only party standing up for the state's traditional owners and the environment.
"The future of the South Australian economy should not be built on a nuclear waste dump," Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
"We have limitless reserves of renewable energy in South Australia and we should be harnessing that power, while encouraging investment and creating much needed jobs."
Media Contact:
Sen. Ludlam: Sarah Quinton 0408 533 877 Sen. Hanson-Young: Noah Schultz-Byard 0427 604 760