Defence torpedos nuclear waste dump at Woomera
A radioactive waste dump can’t be built at Woomera because it would hinder testing weapons, Defence says as an inquiry probes the decision to build the site at Kimba.
SA News
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Defence officials have torpedoed a push to build a radioactive waste storage facility at Woomera over concerns it could hinder weapons testing.
It has been labelled a “ridiculous”, “NIMBY” claim by South Australian senator Rex Patrick, who says the Woomera Prohibited Area is almost twice the size of Tasmania.
But Defence argues the need for testing at Woomera will “increase in coming years” and building the facility there would “not align with Australia’s strategic interests”.
They made the claim on Tuesday at a Senate inquiry, which is probing the Federal Government’s decision to build the nuclear waste facility at farming property Napandee, near Kimba.
Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts said the 122,188sq km prohibited area at Woomera was vital for Australia and its allies.
“The range is there to test war material … and a prohibited area allows us to do that safely,” she said.
“When we’re talking about very high-speed weapons and long-range weapons and we’re talking about space launch and recovery, we need a significant area to make sure that we can assure … the safety of those people in the area.” Senior Defence Department official Chris Birrer said the nuclear facility’s buffer zone, plus the space needed for safely testing weapons, could “prevent essential defence capability testing”. He said four sites including two in the prohibited area and one just outside it were previously considered for the waste facility but were rejected by Defence.
Officials acknowledged there were currently numerous barrels of radioactive material stored inside the prohibited area but said it was only “about 1 per cent” of what would be stored at the proposed facility.
Senator Patrick, who is pushing for Woomera instead of the Kimba site, said Defence were “just operating in a NIMBY mode”.
He noted Defence’s own 2002 report showed that even if there was an error and weapons failed to hit their target, they would still only fall within a small zone.
For ballistic weapons, the zone would be about 25sq km, while for “stand off weapons” it was 2500sq km.
The Senate will vote later this year on whether to build the $200 million facility at Kimba, after the inquiry reports its findings on July 31.
It is not yet clear whether Labor will back the legislation.