Produce would be grown in SA nuclear waste facility buffer zone to prove it’s safe for consumption, senate inquiry says

GRAIN and produce would be grown in the buffer zone of a national radioactive waste dump in SA to “reassure the community” that it is safe, a senate inquiry recommends.

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GRAIN and produce would be grown in the buffer zone of a national radioactive waste dump in South Australia to “reassure the community” that it is safe, a senate inquiry recommends.

Concerns about the impact a nuclear waste repository would have on the “green reputation” of the Eyre Peninsula, after two alternative dump sites were proposed near the small agricultural community of Kimba, were also summarised as “unfounded”.

It comes less than a week before 1600 residents of Flinders Ranges Council will vote on whether they support a low-level and intermediate-level waste facility being built at Wallerberdina station, about 30km northwest of Hawker, at Barndioota.

An anti-nuclear message near Quorn, as some residents fight the proposal to build a nuclear waste repository in SA. Picture: Tom Huntley

A senate inquiry into the selection process for three SA sites proposed by the Federal Government says that it “sees value” in the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science working with local stakeholders so that part of the remaining 60ha buffer zone can be used to “grow and test agricultural produce”.

It believes this would “reassure the community and agricultural markets” that food grown in the surrounding region does not contain “excessive amounts of radiation” and is “safe for consumption”, a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday reveals.

Kimba resident Cameron Scott, 38, in a submission to the inquiry, raised concerns about reputational impacts a waste facility could have on regional exports.

“All grain from Eyre Peninsula is delivered, blended and exported out of Lower Eyre Peninsula,” Mr Scott wrote.

“Therefore, Kimba’s grain is mixed with every other town’s grain on Eyre Peninsula, the effect that this could have on our exports hasn’t been taken into consideration at all.”

However, the experience of French farmers that live around a waste disposal facility in Aube and grow champagne, have cows and produce dairy products was this month used to squash the “potential perception issues” from stakeholders.

The Australian Greens, in a dissenting report, call on the Liberal Government to abandon its plans to build a nuclear waste dump in outback SA.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young also backed industry concerns about its location.

“(A dump) in the middle of agricultural land in Kimba will put at risk our clean, green reputation and damage our state’s key grain export industry,” Senator Hanson-Young says.

“The site selection process has been grossly mismanaged, and these South Australian communities have been manipulated and mistreated.”

Further recommendations handed down by the senate inquiry include:

INTENSIFYING efforts to fully engage with the indigenous stakeholders so heritage assessments for the nominated sites can be completed.

AN INDEPENDENT valuation of the land to be acquired to ensure financial compensation is consistent with the original proposal, four times the land value

SUBMISSIONS made during the consultation process be made public

A POLICY evaluation of the first two phases of the site selection process for the facility by the Office of the Chief Economist.

Originally published as Produce would be grown in SA nuclear waste facility buffer zone to prove it’s safe for consumption, senate inquiry says