Citizens’ jury on SA nuclear waste dump releases initial report
A CITIZENS’ jury of 54 people has released its first report into a proposed nuclear waste dump in SA, asking major questions about the business case and transport.
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A CITIZENS’ jury of 54 people has called for closer analysis of the business case underpinning a proposed nuclear waste dump in SA, and reassurances that transport can be made safe.
The jury is a cross-section of people chosen as part of a random mail-out and it has been studying the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission report with the aid of experts.
The jury was asked to identify key issues that need closer analysis before the state could approve a dump.
Their findings will go to a second jury of 350 people, who will also consider the outcome of statewide community consultation and give a final report to Premier Jay Weatherill.
Mr Weatherill will make the State Government’s position clear to Parliament by year’s end.
The first jury report, completed Sunday, stated the public needs to be confident in an independent and transparent regulator that would oversee the safety of a future nuclear industry.
Some jurors called for more detail on the route waste would take to arrive in SA.
There have been a range of early suggestions from the industry, including sea transit to a port in the state before moving it to a dump site by rail or road, as well as a possible first landing in the NT.
The report said such a facility “has the potential to provide a significant income for SA”.
“There are risks and uncertainties with this endeavour that still requires more research,” the jury warned. “There is the possibility that further research may determine this project is not viable.
“There were varying views between expert witnesses on the economic viability of this project,
and therefore questions remain relating to the economic modelling by the Royal Commission.”
The Royal Commission found the state could earn revenues of $5 billion per year, about one third of the state’s current annual income, and make $100 billion in profits over the dump’s life.
Commissioner Kevin Scarce recommended that the State Government begin negotiations with possible client nations to determine their interest in paying to use an SA waste dump.
Mr Weatherill on Sunday night told the jury that social consent was critical as debate over the dump continued, and the federal election has raised doubts about how politics is conducted.
“If this election spoke to anything, it’s a bit of doubts about our democracy,” Mr Weatherill said.
“What we’re trying to do, I think, is to reform our democracy. This is a big experiment.
“What you seem to have done is you’ve come to a set of conclusions about the way forward.”