How is it that indigenous communities have vastly greater powers to veto projects than non-indigenous? In the suburbs the council might entertain objections to something on the same street, not kilometres away. I notice that the Flinders Ranges community use terms like 'sickness country' as used by the Muckaty NT community 1,000+ km away. A cynic might conclude the protests were being co-ordinated by city folk.

Most of that waste is currently in hospital basements or at Lucas Heights near Sydney. In other words the waste is already near highly populated areas. Perhaps the indigenous community cannot be subjected to the slightest sacrifice or inconvenience.

FWIW I don't think Hawker is the right area. Ultimately high level waste can only go to Woomera Prohibited Area controlled by the Dept Defence. There are depleting mines (Challenger, Prominent Hill) inside the WPA with deep tunnels for high level waste. Low and intermediate waste can remain on the surface in secure casks or containers. Hawker is not suited as an intermediate staging point due to the Lake Torrens depression preventing an all weather road to the WPA. Perhaps nuclear opponents would then like indigenous veto over Woomera.

This waste and any other waste shouldn't be buried in anyone's country until it is processed and reprocessed again and again until the half life is around 300 years! And while other nations pay billions for the service!

We mine and sell uranium and coal, then ship it to all points of the compass.

What we need is a rational approach and our own nuclear energy. Namely Thorium energy.
Clean, walk away safe, cheap, molten salt thorium reactors.

And with several of those commissioned, use them to reprocess the waste.

Nobody was consulted when the powers that be decided to build a number of dirtier and dearer coal fired power stations and the gold plated national grid!

And it goes where it pleases traditional land or health risks to urban populations! And possibly vastly riskier than traditional nuclear energy.

How many lives have been sacrificed to coal? Black lung and our atmosphere and waterways poisoned by many toxic pollutants.

It's time for sanity to finally prevail! Tax breaks? What 2.5%? How about more than halving the energy bill, if you really want jobs and investment?

And given it's just too hard for a divided Coalition and Labor!

Give others a go? And the only way to get a sane affordable energy policy, affordable housing and genuine tax reform!

As for the complaints of the original owners? If they get too precious, just cut off all their welfare and let them eat or farm their sacred ground?
Alan B.

"Perhaps the indigenous community cannot be subjected to the slightest sacrifice or inconvenience........."

When were you slightly inconvenienced by a nuclear test in your backyard?

"As for the complaints of the original owners? If they get too precious, just cut off all their welfare and let them eat or farm their sacred ground?........."

A very rational approach!

We've come a long way from Maralinga, not.

We became an independent country in 1900. We accepted land rights in 1992. But we need to restore good old Pommie values eh! We need to put the blackfellas back in their place eh! RACIST COLONIALISM front and centre. What the hell happened to a fair go?

Just as all oils are not the same, nuclear technology is just as different! Given none whatsoever of the posters were advocating conducting nuclear tests in anyone's backyard!

Such mendacious disingenuous commentary that suggests that as an acceptable policy, almost as rational as throwing petrol onto a fire to put it out! Massively over inflate the issue why don't you!

Not all radiation is harmful. Yes excessive gamma radiation can be lethal and we get most of our rads from the xrays, we routinely take, or as we jet around the world at altitude! Or from the building materials incorporated in some of our homes?

Conversely alpha radiation incorporates some miracle cures and incurable liver cancer cured in just hours?

But you wouldn't want a reactor that made those and allowed their extraction on the fly, from an operational, walk away safe, molten salt, thorium reactor would you? Unless of course, it was your oldie or kid needing the miracle cure nuclear isotopes!?

As for burying waste in my backyard? I'd have no problem with reprocessed waste with a half life of just 300 years being buried as rockcrete, deep in radioactive granite directly beneath my house! All granite bring slightly radioactive!

Where the only real effect would be slightly hotter thermal springs and the production of marginally more radon gas!?

And possibly more cashed up tourists arriving to take advantage of the alleged health benefits of, naturally nuclear powered, thermal spas!?

Where do you think the heat comes from, in the waters of the great artesian basin? Maybe Nick down there shoveling coal?
Alan B.