Australia passes controversial nuclear waste bill
Australia passes controversial nuclear waste bill
Radioactive material set to be dumped in remote Aboriginal community, despite ongoing court case into legality of proposal
The Australian government has passed legislation that will create the country's first nuclear waste dump, despite fierce opposition from environmental and Aboriginal groups.
The passage of the National Radioactive Waste Management Bill 2010 through the Senate paves the way for a highly controversial plan to store nuclear waste in Muckaty Station, a remote Aboriginal community in the arid central region of the Northern Territory.
The ruling Labor party received support from the conservative coalition opposition to approve the bill, despite an ongoing federal court case over the legality of using the Muckaty site to store radioactive material.
Currently, nuclear waste from the medical and mining industries is stored in more than 100 "temporary" sites in universities, hospitals, offices and laboratories across Australia.
Anti-nuclear protesters ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/13/australia-nuclear-waste-aboriginal