Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I just want to move from Woomera to Leonora in Western Australia as another possible site. I see you shrugging your shoulders, Minister. I can see the two Western Australian senators sitting behind you are very keen on this idea—jobs for WA. Leonora was actually nominated under the process. It's gone through a part process. It's a site that was made available or at least discussed well before the process started, actually. I've been there, Minister; let me describe it to you. It's just barren land. If there is a goanna on the site at Leonora, it's in transit to some place better, I can tell you. That's the situation. It's a hard rock site. It could have a facility underground. It could possibly take on intermediate-level waste. It just strikes me as unbelievable that that's not a place that the government would also put on this list or at least signal that it was willing to consider as a site.

Obviously, you'd need to consult with the locals. I went up there. I spoke to some elders who seemed favourable towards that being a site. Now, that's not to say that my consultation would be accepted as rigorous—but perhaps as an indication. I wonder whether, beyond the passage of this legislation, the government is looking at the Leonora site.