Opinion changing on nuclear waste dump front, writes Daniel Wills

THIS debate is far from decided, but the first major measure of public opinion shows the state is warming to the potentially lucrative prospect of hosting a high-level nuclear waste facility.

The results of the poll show a marked shift in opinion.

• SHOCK POLL: Nearly half of SA supports nuclear waste dump
• NUCLEAR DOSSIER: Everything you need to know about the nuclear issue
• DIFFERING VIEWS: 20 South Aussies have their say
• ATOM BOMB: Push to store nuclear waste in facility in Maralinga
• UNITED: Historic political support for high-level nuclear waste dump

THIS debate is far from decided, but the first major measure of public opinion shows the state is warming to the potentially lucrative prospect of hosting a high-level nuclear waste facility.

This Advertiser-Galaxy poll shows a remarkable shift in community’s mood.

In 2000, the idea of an international waste dump in SA was political poison. An overwhelming 95 per cent of people rejected the idea, and its proponents were promptly sent packing.

Today, close to half of the state is ready to grab a shovel and start digging. Those advocates significantly outnumber people opposed, and 13 per cent of the state stands to be swayed.

A lot has changed in the state, and the world, in the last 16 years.

Last week’s release of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission’s interim findings was a key moment in finally getting a firm grip on the risks and benefits of nuclear storage. The debate moved from one of pure ideology, and speculation, to something with much sharper edges.

The report found providing a solution for the world’s long-term storage problem could generate immense wealth for the state, with annual revenues of about $5 billion for three decades.

It also outlined the potential dangers in transport and the eternal burial, 500 metres beneath the ground, of nuclear waste and assuring readers the technology does exist to do it all safely.

The state’s current economic predicament must also be playing a major role in its shifting sentiment. Perhaps surprisingly, older people are those who see the most urgent need for nukes.

Desperate times can call for desperate measures. It’s often not until a crisis arises that people and communities feel forced to consider doing difficult things that are outside their comfort zones.

The failure of Olympic Dam, looming closure of Holden, shutdown of Leigh Creek and the Port Augusta Power station combine with uncertainty around Whyalla and subs as food for thought.

But the question of whether there is statewide support for a hypothetical dump is very different to a specific proposal, with a site, being brought forward. Such a moment would test the ability of politicians and scientists to convince communities directly affected that it was worthwhile.

The other major contrast to the last time this idea was seriously floated is the process.

Last millennium, the plans of international waste disposal advocate Pangea were leaked by environmental activists. That sparked fears that a dump would be imposed on the state against its will. An emotional backlash against a shady outfit from the other side of the globe followed.

This time, nuclear storage is something the state is considering offering to the world.

On release of the Royal Commission last week, Premier Jay Weatherill said his mind had moved from closed to open and it would take time for a “sound” collective position to form.

“At the end of the day, this is about the commonsense judgment of ordinary, everyday South Australians,” he said. “They’re the people that first need to make up their mind.”

That mind is far from made up, but it’s open, and shifting toward a nuclear future.