Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Antic for his question. He would know, coming from South Australia, that the government is considering a number of sites in South Australia for the location of a national radioactive waste facility to store our waste. We've been trying to find a long-term place to store this waste for about 40 years. It's extremely important, because the waste that it will store comes primarily from the production of nuclear medicines that we make at Lucas Heights near Sydney. Nuclear medicine has allowed us to control and, in some cases, cure conditions like cancer, related thyroid conditions, bone pain caused by cancer and many other medical conditions. In fact, on average, around one in two Australians will require the use of nuclear medicines during their lifetime, so it's very important that we manage and store this waste appropriately.

Currently, our radioactive waste is spread across about 100 storage facilities. It is envisaged that a national radioactive waste management facility will consolidate this waste into a single, safe location. As I said, we are looking at three different proposed sites in South Australia—two near the town of Kimba and one near the town of Hawker. Just last week, a ballot was finalised in the community of Kimba on whether they would like their community to host such a facility. It's welcome news to report that over 90 per cent of people in that community voted—it was a voluntary vote—and around 61½ per cent of residents supported a facility located in their community. This is just one piece of information the government will consider before making a decision on any facility. There is another ballot due to occur in the Hawker region. That will open this week and it will be concluded before the end of Christmas. I welcome that level of support. I particularly thank the entire community of Kimba and also those in the Hawker region for their patience and resilience through this process as we try to find a place to store the waste from the production of life-saving medicines for all Australians.