It is internationally accepted that centralised radioactive waste management facilities offer substantial safety and security benefits by minimising risk of accidental loss of control of radioactive waste, thereby protecting the community and environment from any adverse effects.
The Australian Government has introduced legislation to repeal the Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act 2005 and introduce the National Radioactive Waste Management Bill 2010 (Bill). The new legislation will restore procedural fairness rights for establishing a purpose built radioactive waste management facility.
The Bill will establish a facility to manage radioactive waste generated by Australia’s medical, industrial, agricultural and research use of nuclear material and will ensure that the selected site undergoes full environmental, heritage and other approval processes. Currently Australia’s radioactive waste is stored at more than 100 less than ideal sites around Australia.
This approach will promote the consistent, safe and responsible management of radioactive waste, in accordance with Australia’s obligations as a party to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.
The three sites selected by the previous Government on Defence land in the Northern Territory have been ruled out and there will be no pre-determined site outcome – the new Bill requires any site to be volunteered by landowners.
In February 2009, Parsons Brinckerhoff finalised a series reports, on the preliminary site characterisation investigations for a radioactive waste management facility on previously identified sites in the Northern Territory. The results of these investigations and findings are provided in the following documents:
- Synthesis Report
[PDF, 8.3MB] - Geology and Geotechnical Investigation Report [PDF, 50MB]
- Hydrogeology and Hydrology Report [PDF, 19MB]
- Biological Environment Report [PDF, 7MB]
- Mineral Prospectivity Report [PDF, 2.5MB]
- Meteorological Analysis Report [PDF, 6MB]
- Land Use and Demographic Analysis Report [PDF, 15MB]
- Transport Assessment Report [PDF, 5.6MB]
- CH2M Hill Review of Site Characterisation Reports [PDF, 186KB]
- CH2M Hill Review of Site Characterisation Reports - PB Response [PDF, 328KB]
Please note: these are particulary large documents and is recommended to save the document to your computer. To download a document from the link/s above: right click the link to the document; choose Save Target As (Internet Explorer) or Save Link As (Firefox or Netscape); in the Save As dialog box, select a location on your computer and click Save.
Previous national radioactive waste management facility siting processes
From 1980 to 2004 the Australian Government has led a number of processes to establish national facilities for the small volume of waste arising from the medical, industrial and scientific use of radioactive materials in Australia.
National Repository Project for low level waste
In 1992, with the full cooperation of all state and territory governments, the Australian Government initiated an Australia-wide survey to site a low level waste repository.
A preferred site near Woomera, South Australia, was selected following a full environmental assessment. However, attempts to acquire the site under the Lands Acquisition Act 1989 were defeated in the Federal Court following legal action by the South Australian Government. The project was abandoned in July 2004.
National Store Project for intermediate level waste
In 2001 the Australian Government announced that it would establish a purpose built facility on Commonwealth land for the storage of long-lived intermediate level radioactive waste produced by Australian Government agencies.
The National Store Project was stopped following the abandonment of the National Repository Project in July 2004.
Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Facility
On 14 July 2004, the former Prime Minister announced that the Australian Government was abandoning the National Repository Project and would no longer proceed with the National Store Project.
Rather, the then Australian Government decided that it would construct co-located facilities on Commonwealth land for the management of low and intermediate level radioactive waste produced by Australian Government agencies.