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pangea and the international nuke dump rears it's Pangea and the International Nuke dump rears it's head again
September 2005


PANGEA


As a result of the Uranium mining industry desperately trying to get its grubby hands on Australia’s uranium deposits a Federal Representatives standing committee on energy and resources has been carrying out a nation wide inquiry into the benefits of an expanded uranium mining industry.

It was at one of these hearings in Perth Western Australia that Arafura Resources chief Alistair Stephens, one of the uranium mining companies supporting an expansion of uranium mining, told the Federal Parliamentary committee that, “Australia could be the best place for waste storage given our ideal geological locations, political stability and responsible attitudes.”

This claim has subsequently picked up and supported by a number of people, most notable being the former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke who said Australia should become the dumping ground for the world's nuclear waste.

He has been supported by the federal Science Minister, Brendan Nelson, who says there is some merit in former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke's call for Australia to store the world's nuclear waste.

WA Federal MP Dennis Jensen has also joined calls for storing nuclear waste in Australia after former Prime Minister Bob Hawke put the issue back on the agenda.

He was backed by State Liberal shadow lands minister Ken Baston who said his party could not sit on the fence on the issue. He said if Australia was going to export uranium it should be looking at making it a nuclear dump.

Federal member for O'Connor Wilson Tuckey also said he was not frightened of storing nuclear waste in Australia.

On Thursday 29 September 2005, in the ‘West Australian’ newspaper Charles McCombie, who was General Manager, Science, Technology & Engineering of Pangea Australia, said he was still a “fan” of Australia as a nuclear waste dump.

The Pangea group had formally abandoned plans for a commercial high level waste dump as a result of pressure from the public, ANAWA and political pressure.

Charles McCombie one of the key players from Pangea who is now representing the new group known as ARIUS, the Association for Regional and International Underground Storage, said Australia would be doing the world and itself a real service by taking on the job.

“ Australia could benefit enormously in many ways — not just financially — and all this by implementing a high-tech geological disposal facility that could be so remote that it would never be even seen by more than a handful of Australian members of the public.

“ Australia has the right geology, the right societal values and the technical expertise to do this job.”

The Arius association was formed in February 2002 to facilitate progress towards multinational solutions. Whereas other recent projects (such as NPT and Pangea) have advocated rapid development of commercial stores or repositories in specific regions of the world, Arius is noncommercial, and considers all siting and design options. It has initiated a long-term, low-profile promotion strategy whose initial goal is to ensure that multinational storage and disposal options remain a topic for discussions on the world stage and are recognized as a feasible future choice for countries which opt for this strategy.

Next year in October 2006 Arius will be in attendance or presenting at the "Waste management and repositories" session of the Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference, Sydney, Australia.

ARIUS can be found at:

Tafernstrassa 11
CH-5405 Baden
Switzerland
Telephone +41-56-470-0538
Fax +41-56-470-0544

http://www.arius-world.org/

Executive Director Dr Charles McCombie
[email protected]