That elusive " Nuclear Dump :" !

It is absolutely ridiculous that successive Australian governments have spent decades trying to negotiate a depository for this nation's nuclear waste - to no avail.   We have a continent  the equivalent size of North America - minus Alaska -  and a population of just twenty-three million people.   This must be the most under populated land mass on planet earth.

The expression " a pimple on a pumpkin "  applies to the actual quantity of waste involved.  We are talking about storing the equivalent of twenty-eight shipping containers holding spent fuel rods from the reactor at Lucas Heights, plus assorted medical waste and isotopes from research.  Over the coming centuries the quantities involved can be judged by the time elapsed to generate what is now awaiting permanent storage.

It looked like the search was over when a deal was pending to build a permanent facility at Muckaty Station in the remote part of the Northern Territory.  At the last minute, the deal fell through and is seems that we are back at square one.   This is despite the Commonwealth being prepared to spend millions of dollars in compensation to build a permanent site and many more millions providing jobs to make sure it remains secure.

The phrase " Storing nuclear waste " seems to generate unreasonable fear in many peoples minds.   It is certainly dangerous material and it will remain active for hundreds and in some cases - thousands of years. It is important that the chosen site safeguards contact with ground water and is geologically stable.  For some reason, most people think of burying it below the surface but there is no reason it could not be contained in an above ground structure - on the lines of Fort Knox which holds the US gold reserves.

We will probably never get a site decision which will not generate opposition from some people.  The time has come for the government to bite the bullet and make a firm decision - and probably the best location would be the Woomera proving ground in South Australia, where the British atomic bomb tests were held.  The test area remains radioactive and entry restrictions still apply.  A properly constructed fortress dump would become the responsibility of our armed forces to provide security protection.

Siting a nuclear dumping facility will never be a popular decision.   Enough time and money has been spent without result and a decision is becoming urgent.  This nuclear problem is not going to go away - and a final decision will not only clear the air - but introduce a long awaited safety factor !