Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move Democrat amendments (1) and (2) on sheet 5368 together:

(1)    Schedule 1, page 3 (after line 4), before item 1, insert;

1A  After paragraph 7(1)(fa)

Insert:

            (fb)    to conduct plebiscites in communities in which a nuclear facility is to be established; and

(2)    Schedule 1, item 1, page 4, (after line 5), at the end of the item, add:

     (1H)    To ensure that communities in which a nuclear facility is to be established have authorised that establishment and have consented to the health, welfare, safety and environmental impacts and risks of the establishment of the nuclear facility, for the purposes of paragraph 7(1)(fb), a plebiscite must be conducted by the Commission in every federal electorate within 0.5km of the boundary of the nuclear facility seeking approval for the establishment of the facility.

I refer to the amendments on sheet 5368. I have asked that the chamber consider the conducting of non-binding plebiscites in communities in which a nuclear facility is to be established. The chamber would be proper in asking me: ‘Why would you need to do that when the bill itself is not specific as to plebiscites that may be conducted? Any plebiscite can be conducted.’ But, of course, the explanatory memorandum is specific, and we know that the explanatory memorandum has weight in these matters. The explanatory memorandum refers to local government amalgamations, and the purpose of this bill is, in fact, to allow for plebiscites on local council amalgamations. If that had not been the case and if the explanatory memorandum had simply been left open-ended, I would have expected that plebiscites on nuclear facilities, or any other plebiscite that a local council or anyone else wanted to conduct, could occur.

These matters are particularly sensitive. I am not prejudging the matter; there may well be shires and councils that would like a nuclear facility. I seem to recall that in my own state of Western Australia there is a shire that is happy to store nuclear waste for its state. People are not automatically against these things, but there are people who are very sensitive about nuclear waste dumps and nuclear reactors being sited near them. I think it is appropriate that, in view of the sensitivity of this issue and the very strong feelings many members of the community have about it, we make it explicit that plebiscites will be conducted in communities in which nuclear facilities are to be established.