The Greens are calling on the Labor Leader in the Senate, Penny Wong to declare where her party stands on the proposed Nuclear Waste Dump in SA, after a clear division within the Labor Party was revealed in a Senate Inquiry Report released late yesterday.

NSW Labor Senator Jenny McAllister delivered a dissenting report, independent of her Labor colleagues including SA Senator Alex Gallacher who supports the majority report that SA should be a dumping ground for nuclear waste.

The Greens strongly oppose the bill to establish a nuclear waste dump at Kimba.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens Senator for South Australia said:

“The Senate Inquiry showed that this is a highly flawed bill. There are deep concerns that this bill blatantly seeks to prevent any right to judicial review of this process and sets in stone Kimba as the dump site against strong community opposition.”

South Australian Labor members have dumped on their home state today, backing the legislation to build a nuclear waste dump at Kimba on SA’s Eyre Peninsula, the Greens say.

SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Labor has today dumped on South Australia and backed a site selection process for a nuclear waste dump that has been dodgy from the start.

“South Australians have already said no to nuclear. Today, every South Aussie should be asking why their elected representatives from the major parties have refused to listen to them.   

The Greens have referred the legislation to build a nuclear waste dump in South Australia to a Senate Inquiry for scrutiny of the laws and the process that led to this point.

“The Coalition has decided Kimba on SA’s Eyre Peninsula, home to some of the country’s best agricultural land, is the place to dump the nation’s radioactive waste,” South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Greens have condemned the Liberals’ plan to introduce nuclear power at the behest of their big corporate mining donors, in the Coalition-majority led

The Greens have called for the process to select a nuclear waste site to be halted, and an independent, expert panel to take over, amid deep concerns about the sidelining of the community and Traditional Owners.

“Today’s revelations that Kimba is the preferred site for an expanded nuclear waste dump are deeply troubling,” Greens nuclear spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“The entire process has been badly botched from the start, with community concerns ignored and the Adnyamathanha and Barngarla people sidelined.

The Liberals have shown we can’t risk another term of them in Government, by approving a destructive uranium mine on the eve of an election being called, and trying to hide it.

“The Liberals are trashing the environment behind voters’ backs. They have tried to hide this destructive uranium mine decision from voters. They do not deserve another term of government,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Liberal National Government must reject the advice of the self-serving Mining Lobby pushing for changes to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, the Greens say.

“The Environment Minister must stand up for environmental protections, not fall to her mates in the mining industry,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Coalition Government must abandon its plans to dump nuclear waste in South Australia, not extend their consultation process, the Greens say.

“The Coalition Government will just continue extending its deadline in the hopes it will finally get the answer it wants on dumping nuclear waste in outback South Australia,” Greens nuclear spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Labor and the Liberal Government have teamed up to block a Greens motion seeking to extend the community vote on a nuclear waste dump being built in outback South Australia.

“The Liberal Government has botched its so-called consultation and community vote plans in a desperate attempt to get a run on the board. Ignoring the views of Traditional Owners in both the Barngarla and Adnyamathanha communities will be at the Government’s peril,” Greens nuclear spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.