Angst over nuclear issue

No Waste on Agricultural Land in Kimba or SA committee member Tom Harris said the issue had divided his local community in Kimba.

Mr Harris said there were fears if the proposed waste facility were to go ahead near Kimba, it could affect valuable trade markets.

“We feel the government has been pushing the ‘clean, green image’ for years,” he said.

“We’re not even allowed to grow genetically-modified crops because of this image.

“Yet we feel the perception of our produce in the overseas markets would be much worse if we had this facility on our doorstep.

“Pretty well all our trade on the Eyre Peninsula is export-based and we feel a decision like this could send us broke overnight.”

The No Waste on Agricultural Land in Kimba or SA group already has more than 100 members, as concerns about nuclear power grow.

Mr Harris said there were concerns about the consultation process.

“They say this is a community-orientated process, and a good process, but we believe it's totally the opposite,” he said.

“This issue is destroying our community.

“The fact is, if we don’t want this facility, we don’t want it.”

While added employment was one of the benefits being touted from the proposal, Mr Harris said the group did not believe there were significant opportunities.

“When you ask how many extra jobs there will be, you get mixed responses,” he said.

“As far as we’re led to believe, once it’s up and running, it will be just guards 24 hours a day, equating to about six jobs.”

As part of the consultation process, nuclear and policy experts were at Kimba and surrounding areas this week.

These consultations included a town hall meeting, media briefing and meetings with interested people. 

The national facility would manage Australian low and intermediate level waste, which is a by-product of the nuclear medicine.

The facility could not store high level waste, as this would require a deep underground facility.

In November last year, the federal government released a list of six possible sites for the facility that had been volunteered by landowners, and which met basic geological, climate and other criteria.  

With six nominated landowners identified, the 120 days to March 11 have been set aside to talk to the communities surrounding those sites about the issues and opportunities arising from the proposal.

“We are early in the process, and look forward to continuing these conversations in the Kimba region,” Department of Industry, Innovation and Science spokesman Bruce Wilson said.

“While we have been consulting in the area for some time, we fully expect that there will be more questions from more members of the community as they have learned more about the proposal.

“In particular we are expecting to have conversations here about matters of regional reputation, safety and transport, as well as about the type of community benefits that would come to the region.

“In Kimba, there are a broad range of people who support, oppose and are undecided on the proposal, and these meetings were an open opportunity for everyone to participate in this ongoing discussion.”

The government is only likely to shortlist two or three of the six nominations, from landowners whose community has shown it is willing to continue discussions to the next phase in the process.

That next phase would involve site-specific geological studies and surveying, and working with a community to design the size and shape of a significant community benefit package.

The detailed proposals would then be designed with, and put to, the respective landholders and communities, for discussion and support.

A decision on the preferred site by government would follow the conclusion of the shortlisting and detailed proposal phases, and be expected by the end of this year. After this, the department would take the preferred site and plans through a detailed application and consultation process, which would include the independent nuclear regulator.