Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Premier Mike Rann—certainly; continue to remind me if I forget those things. Premier Mike Rann started off this process by being disingenuous and saying right at the last minute that waste would not be stored in South Australia. Everybody had decided it was in the very best interests of Australia. He has some short-term political gains, so suddenly the entire process that everybody had agreed to has been absolutely thrown to the wind.

The Commonwealth has to show some leadership in this matter. As far as I am concerned—and as far as most clear-thinking Australians and most people in the Senate are concerned, I would have to say—this is a very important issue for the health of Australians. This is not an issue about a repository; this is an issue about access to fundamental health for Australians. I really do not understand the agenda of those who stand in the way of it. At the end of the day, this is about health and this is a very important issue for all Australians.

Of course, the mischief of Labor continues. The Minister for Central Australia, Elliott McAdam, whilst giving evidence, was putting it about the place that people in Central Australia had not been consulted. He was generally putting it about the place that there was something uncomfortable or dangerous about this radioactive facility. Anybody, including those people, could have afforded themselves of a process that informed them, which the Northern Land Council did. They actually visited ANSTO and asked some questions. They asked questions about safety. They wanted to see the materials, touch them, look at them and understand more about them. When they did, they came to the same conclusion I have. I went through exactly the same process, and the conclusion I have come to is that this is an extremely safe process.

Today we know that the Central Land Council are now saying that they would like to have a say over the traditional owners in a completely separate jurisdiction. I have been dealing with Indigenous people for a very long time, and to want to have a say over somebody else’s country is, I believe, beyond the pale. Again, we know that mischief is afoot and we need to pass legislation that puts beyond doubt all of those things. The process we have gone through identifies all the processes where I think there will be a bit of mischief, and I really hope that this will eventually put to bed any delays that come this way.

I have to say to those people in this place who say that we have trampled all over the rights of Indigenous Territorians that I think that is an absolute fallacy; it is quite the opposite. Indigenous Territorians have said quite clearly that they want the right to nominate a site on their land if they choose. I can remember clearly the times when the only three sites that were nominated were Commonwealth sites. The same people were jumping up and down and yelling in the aisles that that was a terrible affront and a terrible tragedy. I came up with some good amendments that said: ‘Let’s have much better scientific amenity. Rather than having it just anywhere, we should put it where it would best be.’ The Northern Territory government has completely failed. From day one they have said: ‘We won’t be putting in a nomination because we’re fundamentalists. We are simply ignoring the wider benefits to Australia in this and we’re going to play politics.’

That is interesting. Premier Mike Rann and Chief Minister Clare Martin are the very same ones who got together and said that radioactivity is bad. But somehow Mike Rann can put his yellowcake on the train or on a truck and send it right up through the Northern Territory—Clare Martin does not mind that, I have to say. It can go through Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine into Darwin, on to the Darwin wharf and get unloaded. Of course they have a mutual interest: Mike Rann actually wants to export his yellowcake; Clare Martin is interested in exporting Ranger uranium, of which we have been big supporters. But suddenly when it comes to fundamentally protecting the health of Australians it is: ‘Let’s make a bit of political mischief.’

The purposes of this bill are very basic. First of all, it is to ensure that the land is returned to Indigenous Australians after the facility is no longer required. Secondly, it ensures that it is put beyond the reach of those causing mischief—and I have to say that most of that is driven by those opposite. I hope that this is the last time we look to amending this legislation. I commend the bill to the house.