Battle won after 24 years of struggle
The Federal Government's decision not to build a low-level nuclear waste dump near Woomera is a victory for local communities who refused to allow their state to become a national dumping ground, the South Australian Government says.
"This is recognition that South Australia has done its bit for the nation," the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, said.
"We've been the site of the Maralinga atomic bomb tests, which took decades to get cleaned up. It is a great day for our winemakers, our food growers, our tourism industry and all of those people living in those communities who did not want this waste trucked along their roads and see our state descend into a national dumping ground for the entire country's radioactive waste."
The decision was the end of a long battle by the South Australian Government and environmental, community and indigenous groups that began in 1980 when the first committee to co-ordinate policies for the management of radioactive waste was set up.
In 1994 Commonwealth land near Woomera was suggested by the then Keating government as a site to store nuclear waste.
Four years later, the Howard Government announced it was to be stored at one of 18 possible sites in South Australia.
A huge campaign was led by environment groups and the South Australian Government, culminating in legislation being passed by the South Australian Parliament to prohibit the building of a nuclear dump in the state.
Polling suggested up to 80 per cent of South Australians opposed the location of the dump. But the Federal Government pressed ahead, resulting in a legal challenge by South Australia. Last month, the full bench of the Federal Court upheld an appeal by the South Australian Government to try to stop the Commonwealth from using emergency powers to compulsorily acquire land.
The Federal Government considered an appeal to the High Court but, with an election imminent and three marginal seats around Adelaide hanging in the balance, it did not proceed.
Environmental groups welcomed the announcement. It highlighted "the importance and power of community mobilisation and action", Don Henry, of the Australian Conservation Foundation, said.
But Stephen Campbell, of Greenpeace, warned people to be wary because "after the election, a waste dump could be proposed for their backyard by whichever party takes government".