THERE was a strong anti-nuclear waste facility sentiment during a pre-election forum for the candidates of Grey last Thursday night, but both of the major parties were missing.
Hosted by Conservation Council of SA and No Radioactive Waste on Agricultural Land in Kimba or SA, the forum was pitched as a discussion and Q&A on the federal government's plan to build a facility to store low and intermediate level nuclear waste near Kimba on the Eyre Peninsula.
While four candidates participated in the online discussion, both Liberal's Rowan Ramsey and Labor's Julie Watson were notable no-shows, both citing prior engagements for their inability to attend.
Contacted by Stock Journal the following day, Mr Ramsey said the people of Kimba, "by a strong majority", had already voted to host the facility.
"It (the waste facility) now has bipartisan support and has been through both houses of parliament and I believe it'll go ahead," he said.
"Those that continue to fan the hopes of those against it are being counterproductive to the community coming together - which I believe they largely have - and maximising the benefits."
After originally refusing to back the Bill, federal Labor agreed to amendments last year to allow its passage through the Senate.
Ms Watson, the Labor candidate for Grey in the upcoming election, has not been available for comment.
While 452 of 824 Kimba voters voted in favour of the proposed facility, participants in the forum were critical of the process to reach that outcome, and also critical of the site's location.
Independent Liz Habermann, seen as a challenger to Mr Ramsey in the upcoming election, said the site selection was a serious issue and needed to be approached with a duty of care for coming generations.
"We can't let this happen," she said.
"It can't go on agricultural land. The process was flawed and didn't involve all the people it will affect no matter how safe it supposedly is.
"I'll be doing all I can do stop this. There are certainly places much more suitable."
Independent Richard Carmody said he was neutral on the issue and believed Kimba wouldn't be harmed by the current proposal.
"I'm still willing to be swayed by people, on it," he said.
"I have worked with radiation in my job and have a reasonable background and education in the effects of radiation.
"I don't see Kimba as being harmed by the proposal as it sits.
"Having said that, if it was totally up to me I'd probably choose somewhere more arid to place it."
United Australia Party candidate Suzanne Waters brushed off concerns about comments made in 2019 by party leader Clive Palmer labelling SA as a "backwater" that needed to embrace nuclear energy.
She said there was a stark difference between utilising nuclear energy and storing nuclear waste on agricultural land.
"United Australia Party's main concern is food security for Australia," Ms Waters said.
"If we need a waste dump, it shouldn't be on farmland or productive agricultural land.
"We need to preserve that land for food security to feed our people and people across the world that we supply."
While Liberal Democrats candidate Peter Miller opted not to appear on the forum, he provided a statement in favour of the facility.
He said his party were pro nuclear energy and were of the belief that the proposed site would greatly benefit Kimba.
"We take the stance of being pro nuclear energy," Mr Miller said.
"Large portions of Europe are fine with it and we are also of the belief that SA would benefit greatly by providing such storage facilities to the rest of the world via the the overseas revenue that could be generated.
"What is being proposed is purpose-built, state-of-the-art storage facilities - not just dumping radioactive waste on farming land."
MORE OBSTACLES IN WAY OF NUCLEAR FACILITY
Candidates for Grey were critical of the process which deemed the proposed facility had the local community's support.
They also flagged potential hurdles which stand in the way of the site's establishment.
Greens candidate Tim White said the exclusion of traditional landowners, the Barngarla people, from the voting process was enough reason for the waste facility to not go ahead.
He also said the SA government must conduct public parliamentary inquiry into matter, due to legislation brought in by the Rann Labor government.
The state government has been contacted for comment.
The Barngarla people have also launched a legal challenge to question the process of how the site decision was made.
Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation chairman Jason Bilney said the process had been "flawed from the start" and Barngarla people had been excluded from the vote.
An independent poll of more than 200 Barngarla native title holders returned a unanimous no vote.
