Political stalemate over nuclear waste site ’costing’ Kimba community money, mayor says

The frustrated Kimba mayor has hit out at the political stalemate over building a nuclear waste storage site, saying the delay is costing the community money.

Kimba is losing money every year the federal parliament delays a decision on the future of a radioactive waste storage site proposed for the town, the local mayor says.

The Morrison Government and Labor are locked in a political stalemate over draft laws to establish the nuclear waste storage facility in the upper Eyre Peninsula town, leaving it in limbo.

Frustrated Kimba Mayor Dean Johnson said politicians needed to “deliver what they promised”.

“Ultimately, this is costing Kimba money every year it gets delayed,” he said.

“We need some surety moving forward. The sooner a decision is made, the sooner the community can get on with life and start planning for the decisions ahead.

Kimba Mayor Dean Johnson.

“It’s been six years in April and the community really has given its all.”

In 2015, the Federal Government short-listed sites in the Kimba area for the facility.

In February 2020, Napandee farm, near Kimba, was announced as the location.

As part of the creation of the site, the town will receive a $31m funding package for skills and business development and other projects but that money will only start flowing once the site is officially acquired.

The project is expected to create 45 permanent jobs and bring another major industry to the town, which is reliant on agriculture for employment.

A 2019 community ballot found 62 per cent of voters backed the proposal.

Mr Johnson said businesses were unable to plan ahead, including for opportunities to expand or to be involved in the development, because they were in the dark about the project’s future.

Supplied Editorial Rowan Ramsey, Jeff Baldock and Keith Pitt at Napandee. Picture: Supplied

“The community has made a decision and it’s time for the political parties to deliver what they promised,” he said.

One Nation’s decision to block the draft laws to establish Kimba as the site of the waste dump has prompted the government to try to reach a new agreement with Labor to back the Bill.

The government does not have the numbers to pass it through the Senate.

Resources Minister Keith Pitt said he was concerned the Kimba community was “getting close to the end of their tether” – and confirmed he was in discussions with Labor.

He said the waste facility needed a bipartisan approach as it was a “nationally significant piece of infrastructure.”

But Labor resources spokeswoman Madeleine King indicated the party had not changed its stance on opposing the Bill in its current form, as naming a site in legislation would remove any option for a judicial review.

“Traditional owners, the residents of Kimba and the broader Eyre Peninsula communities should have the right to have scrutiny applied to any decision to locate a radioactive waste facility in their community,” she said.

“Labor will continue to work with the government and will consider proposals that address the concerns Labor has raised.”

Originally published as Political stalemate over nuclear waste site ’costing’ Kimba community money, mayor says