Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Can I say, Mr Chairman, that Senator Ludlam has worn me down, and I have finally seen the light and have agreed to support these amendments. Earlier in the debate Senator Ludlam moved a similar motion about which the government had concerns about the technical effects but, because I know his views are genuinely held and we thought there was a meeting of minds, we have been able to accept the reworked amendment from Senator Ludlam. It has been the position of successive Australian governments that Australia will not accept other countries' radioactive waste. As a fellow Western Australian, I lived through the same experience Senator Ludlam did, with a proposal that I think Western Australians generally regarded as pretty offensive.

The Greens amendments effectively restricts access to the national radioactive waste management facility of waste that originates from use of radioactive materials and nuclear activities in Australia. In particular, it permits waste arising from overseas reprocessing of Australian research reactor fuel to be accepted at the facility. It complements controls under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations and the prohibition already in the bill on acceptance of high-level waste, preventing the facility from accepting used power reactor fuel. As I said, this has been a policy of successive Australian governments. It is one that this government is committed to, and we are very happy to have that reflected in the bill and the act. That will ensure that the parliament would have to debate this issue before there were any change in policy in that regard. I think it strengthens the bill, so the government will support the amendment.