Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Patrick, you are asking a series of questions with some level of detail. I think I've already explained to you that, in the process that is currently being undertaken, the proposal is for the establishment of a facility that will have site-specific design, that will have a whole heap of information that is contained in that that will determine what is and is not to be located at that site into the future. The fact is that the site that you are suggesting in your amendment should be deemed alongside the two or three sites that are proposed to be deemed by the amendments that I have just moved has not gone through the same process as the process of the three sites to be deemed. What we are merely saying to you is that you cannot just tack on a site that has not been through the appropriate processes that are contained in the act. The reason that the three sites that we are proposing to be turned by this amendment is that all three of them have been through that process. You're talking about something that is quite in advance of what we are proposing. The sites have not been consulted on, so we've never tested the community acceptance of those sites. As I said, Defence have suggested that it is unsuitable. I accept the fact that you disagree with that, and that it's entirely your prerogative to do so, but the advice that we've received from Defence is that the site is not appropriate.

As I said, I'm more than happy to get some specific information in relation to the particular current repositories of waste that you're referring to, but that is not the point of what we're trying to do here by these amendments. The point of what we're trying to do here is to enable the determination, as has been highlighted through the consultation process that's undertaken, to allow the three sites that have already had the process undertaken for them to be deemed, to give the minister the opportunity to select one of those sites or undertake a full process again should none of those sites be ones that the minister determines to declare, but that is a matter for the minister.