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Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to matter to the Federal government and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), who today granted an operating licence to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) for its new research reactor.
"It's extremely reckless to introduce a nuclear reactor into a major growth corridor of our largest city," said Mr Kennedy.
"Given the current climate of global risk, the approval of this new reactor is the wrong decision. It's the culmination of a flawed process by a secretive industry, which has ignored successive inquiry findings against it.”
A senate inquiry found that the government had failed to make a compelling case for the reactor and accused ANSTO of having a "culture of secrecy", while a NSW inquiry found a compelling case for alternatives.
"The reactor proponents' argument that it is needed for radioisotopes is simply untrue, and experience and research bear this out," said Mr Kennedy.
In 2000, the Lucas Heights Reactor was closed for three months with no interruption to supply of radioisotopes, proving a nuclear reactor is not necessary in Australia. Detailed research by the Medical Association for the Prevention of War has shown isotope demand can be met with a mixture of imports, innovation and advanced new technologies.
"ANSTO and the Federal Government would best look after Australians' long term health interest by halting work on this costly facility which will produce radioactive waste posing a health threat to generations of Australians to come," said Mr Kennedy.
In light of last month’s accidents at the existing Lucas Heights nuclear reactor, Greenpeace campaigns manager Danny Kennedy said that this should have been a wake up call about how quickly things can go wrong with nuclear reactors."It's extremely reckless to introduce a nuclear reactor into a major growth corridor of our largest city,"
Greenpeace campaigns manager Danny Kennedy
"It's extremely reckless to introduce a nuclear reactor into a major growth corridor of our largest city," said Mr Kennedy.
"Given the current climate of global risk, the approval of this new reactor is the wrong decision. It's the culmination of a flawed process by a secretive industry, which has ignored successive inquiry findings against it.”
A senate inquiry found that the government had failed to make a compelling case for the reactor and accused ANSTO of having a "culture of secrecy", while a NSW inquiry found a compelling case for alternatives.
"The reactor proponents' argument that it is needed for radioisotopes is simply untrue, and experience and research bear this out," said Mr Kennedy.
In 2000, the Lucas Heights Reactor was closed for three months with no interruption to supply of radioisotopes, proving a nuclear reactor is not necessary in Australia. Detailed research by the Medical Association for the Prevention of War has shown isotope demand can be met with a mixture of imports, innovation and advanced new technologies.
"ANSTO and the Federal Government would best look after Australians' long term health interest by halting work on this costly facility which will produce radioactive waste posing a health threat to generations of Australians to come," said Mr Kennedy.
Learn more about why nuclear reactors are such a problem
