Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Resources and Energy, upon notice, on 12 November 2012:

With reference to the storage of radioactive waste at the Australian Defence Industries (ADI) site at St Marys and its transportation to Woomera in 1995:

(1) What clean-up was undertaken of the area where the material had been stored.

(2) Has any study been undertaken to assess if any radioactive waste is still on the ADI site; if so:

(a) when was it undertaken;

(b) what were the findings; and

(c) have the findings been made public.

(3) If further radioactive material has been found at the site, what has been done and has the material been removed.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Resources and Energy has provided the following response to the honourable senator's question:

(1) The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has advised that normal surface cleaning procedures were conducted after removal of the radioactive packages. The storage area and all areas associated with the transfer, conditioning and further packaging were then surveyed for radiation and contamination. All were determined to be at normal background levels. These surveys were conducted by ANSTO and independently by another qualified organisation, confirming this status. The decisions to demolish the facilities as normal non-radioactive buildings were endorsed by the NSW EPA.

(2) The Department of Finance and Deregulation (DFAD) has advised that the NSW Department of Urban Affairs and Planning (DUAP) commissioned two separate reports to assess if the decontamination works on the ADI site rendered the site suitable for urban use.

(a) The Stage 1 Independent Audit Report from CMPS&F Environmental was provided to DUAP in 1996 and the Stage 2 Decontamination Report from HLA-Envirosciences Pty Ltd was provided to DUAP in 1999.

(b) Consistent with s.4(a) of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Regulations 1994, ANSTO completed its clean up and removal of radioactive material on the ADI site prior to 31 December 1995. Therefore, DUAP's Audits did not identify any possible radioactive contamination.

(c) The two audits were made public by DUAP.

(3) As stated in the answer to question (2)(b), no further radioactive material has been found at the site.