Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank honourable senators for their contributions in this debate on the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Amendment Bill 2006, in particular Senator Chapman’s contribution, which I acknowledge was one of the better contributions in this debate. He has had a very long-standing interest in relation to these matters. Senator Chapman was talking about changes to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Act 1987 to allow ANSTO to more effectively fulfil one of its statutory functions—namely, the provision of services in connection with conditioning and management of radioactive materials and radioactive waste.

I understand that Labor senators are supporting this bill and the government appreciates that support. It is disappointing that the Democrats and the Greens cannot show the same commitment to ensuring radioactive materials are safely managed in the event of an emergency. This bill provides clear authority for ANSTO to provide assistance to Commonwealth, state and territory emergency services and law enforcement agencies. Such a need could arise as a result of materials that come into possession of law enforcement agencies in the course of investigations or that are collected or seized following a terrorist or other radiological incident, whether malicious or accidental.

In its current form, the ANSTO Act effectively limits the assistance ANSTO can provide to emergency services and law enforcement agencies to the provision of verbal advice. The New South Wales Police, the Victorian police and the Australian Federal Police have all raised their concern with ANSTO that they do not have the appropriate facilities to manage radioactive material they may seize in the course of an investigation.

ANSTO is Australia’s nuclear science and technology organisation with practical day-to-day experience in managing and handling radioactive materials and wastes. It has operated its facilities safely and reliably for 49 years. ANSTO has both the infrastructure and qualified personnel capable of managing radioactive materials that might be seized by police or otherwise need to be dealt with in the event of a radiological incident.

Democrat senators have made the rather bizarre assertion that this bill opens the door for ANSTO to import and dispose of foreign nuclear waste. This assertion, as outlined by Senator Chapman, is completely incorrect. This bill, if passed, clarifies that ANSTO may manage waste arising from the conditioning or reprocessing of ANSTO spent fuel—that is, nuclear fuel that has been irradiated in a reactor operated by ANSTO. The other matters that have been raised throughout the debate do not need to be responded to other than to say that this bill clarifies the role that ANSTO can take in the management of radioactive materials and wastes on behalf of the Commonwealth. I commend the bill to the Senate.

Question negatived.

Original question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.