[Oz-envirolink] Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management legislation Amendment Bill 2006

[hugh spencer]

Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management legislation Amendment Bill 2006 -
The Bill makes further amendments to the Governments powers to make it
easier to override Northern Territory law and bypass traditional owners
with respect to nuclear waste dumps. According to the Science Minister the
Bill aims to "prevent politically motivated challenges to a land council
nomination." It does this by allowing a Land Council to nominate land on
behalf of traditional owners, without consultation or consent, and removes
any avenue for legal challenge, by traditional owners or other interested
groups. This is an abuse of justice and due process. Senator Allison will
be handling the Bill.

Contact both the Democrats and the Greens on this one - and lobby your
local Labor rep.




The Howard Government refuses to acknowlege:-

Energy conservation (the most powerful mechanism for reducing energy demand)

Alternative energy sources other than wind - (suits the politicians' style!)
especially solar thermal, and geothermal - the neocons' (yes we have 'em)
world view particularly embraces mega-projects and centralised authority..

and it has been subverted by the Christians for Nukes (Ian Hore-Lacey) and
the techno boys (the decendents of Prof Titterton).

We have a big battle on our hands on this one.

Hugh


Remember

Nuclear Power is NOT greenhouse friendly -

*mining and purification reguires prodigious amounts of power - especially
with poorer quality ores.

*mining and purification creates copious amounts of waste - while the
radioactive minerals were locked up in the rock - it was relatively benign
- but mining tailings have left these in a far more acessible and
dispersable state.

*nuclear plant construction is very energy intensive - uses large amounts
of high embodied energy concrete, and the core and fuel rods require lots
of energy in their construction.

*it requires a greatly beefed up state security apparatus to "prevent
terrorist attacks" - and the same security apparatus can be used against
YOU! (and probably will) - remember even the piddling little Lucas Heights
reactor was the training ground for the Commonwealth Police and parts of
ASIO.

*Dismantling of Nukes has turned out to be vastly more expensive than has
been thought - AND with the rapidly escalating energy costs, we can expect
a serious increase in de-commissioning costs - and depending on which
future scenario you subscribe to - it is highly unlikely that very few
nukes will ever be decommissioned - and there is NO WAY to guarantee that
decomissioning will ever happen in our very uncertain future. Promises are
just that.... Promises.





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