Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: Northcote Town Hall, Roof Top room. 189 High st, Northcote
Description Get up, stand up and lets walk together! Your invited to a community event and information session.
The evening is focused on bringing the voices of Muckaty in the Northern Territory to the inner city suburb of Northcote to create awareness around the issues of Radioactive Waste Management in Australia and the sensitivity of the site selection of the nations only proposed Radioactive Waste repository site.
People living in the Darebin electorate have a special connection to this issue and the people of Muckaty, as our local Minister; Martin Ferguson is the Federal Minister for energy, resources and tourism, and has recently proposed a new Bill. The proposed bill, The National Radioactive Waste Management Bill, gives Minister Ferguson huge powers in deciding upon the site for the first Radioactive Waste dump in Australia.
Site selection would be at his discretion, and assessment methods would also be at his discretion.
This is a huge responsibility and power and a site for a radioactive repository needs to be taken extremely seriously.
Indigenous people and the environment will not be dumped upon to deal with this radioactive issue
The nomination of Muckaty, as a potential radioactive waste management site was not carried out with the proper consultation required and the site is not even environmentally viable as a suitably safe and secure site.
"All along we have said we don't want this dump on our land but we have been ignored. Martin Ferguson has avoided us and ignored our letters but he knows very well how we feel. He has been arrogant and secretive and he thinks he has gotten away with his plan but in fact he has a big fight on his hands. We won't be letting that dump go ahead on our land because our duty is to look after that special place for future generations and that's exactly what we plan to do."
-- Dianne Stokes, Muckaty Traditional Owner
Come along and show your support to find out more about Minister Ferguson's Toxic plan to dump Radioactive Waste in the Territory.