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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-05-15 Daily Xml
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Nuclear Waste

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (15:36): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Tourism—my inaugural question of the Minister for Tourism—about tourism and nuclear waste.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL: The federal government is pressing ahead with its plans to dump the nation's intermediate and low-level nuclear waste somewhere in South Australia, either near Kimba at the top of Eyre Peninsula or at Barndioota near Hawker in the Flinders Ranges. One of the main concerns expressed by locals about both sites, but particularly in relation to the Flinders Ranges proposal, is that it could adversely impact on tourism, which is a key part of the local economy. My questions are:

1. Has the minister commissioned any research on the potential impact on tourism of hosting Australia's national nuclear waste dump in South Australia's Flinders Ranges?

2. If not, will the minister now consider investigating this matter before the federal government makes its final decision?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:37): I thank the honourable member for his question. Certainly, there is a concern in the community, especially in the Flinders Ranges, if the low-level and intermediate waste dump or storage facility or disposal facility—

The Hon. M.C. Parnell: You can say 'dump'; I do.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Whatever it is called. I have had some representation on that. I have not had any from the Kimba community other than prior to the election. As members would know, the community was initially very divided. I don't think they are as divided as they were, so I had some representation from the Kimba community prior to the election.

I have not commissioned any further work on that but I do think it is an important issue. I will be having one of my regular meetings with the SATC in the next few days and I will certainly put it on their agenda if there has been any work done. We have this material, and we all agree that it needs to be dealt with in a sensible and responsible manner, but we also do not want it to impact on our great tourism assets. I thank the honourable member for his question and if I have any further information I will provide it to him.

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