Peter Hendy (Eden-Monaro, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Productivity) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, the following proposed work be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works for consideration and report: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation waste management facilities extension and upgrade.

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation is proposing to extend and upgrade two waste storage facilities at its Lucas Heights campus in New South Wales. ANSTO is Australia's national nuclear research and development organisation and the centre of Australian nuclear expertise. Its unique expertise is applied to nuclear medicine production, research into areas of national importance, including health, materials engineering and water resource management, as well as helping Australian industries solve complex problems.

The increasing domestic and international demand for nuclear medicines produced at ANSTO, as well as the need to decommission end-of-life nuclear facilities, means that ANSTO's available waste storage will be at capacity in early 2017. This is well before the date that the new national radioactive waste management facility is planned to be operational. To overcome this, ANSTO is proposing to extend and upgrade two existing waste management facilities at its Lucas Heights campus. The proposed works will increase storage capacity for both low-level solid radioactive waste and intermediate-level solid radioactive waste. As part of these works, existing active ventilation systems and electrical infrastructure will be upgraded and there will be minor refurbishments or equipment relocations to enhance waste management flow. As part of the proposal, minor roadworks will be undertaken to allow the passage of heavy vehicles to dispatch stored waste to the proposed new national radioactive waste management facility.

The project was funded through the 2015-16 budget measure—namely, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation interim radioactive waste storage—and is valued at $22.3 million, excluding GST. These costs include all development and delivery costs, management and design fees, construction costs, fittings, contingencies and escalation allowances. Subject to parliamentary approval of the project, the extension and upgrades are expected to commence in mid-2016, with staged practical completion and commissioning from early 2017. I commend the motion to the House.

Question agreed to.

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