Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Vanstone, the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Science and Training. Is the minister aware of the Minister for Education, Science and Training’s assurance on 2 November that radioactive waste dump sites would not go ahead unless:

... the owners of the land in question have understood the proposal and have consented to the nomination, and that other Aboriginal communities with an interest in the land have also been consulted.

Didn’t Minister Bishop also give an assurance that the government would not proceed with nominated sites if these criteria were not met? Isn’t it true that the government’s proposed laws completely undermine Minister Bishop’s assurances by making it clear that a radioactive waste dump will be able to proceed even if communities are not consulted and do not give their consent? Why should this government be able to ignore the views of a community before it sets up a radioactive waste dump?