The Australian Government acknowledges the outcome of the ballot in communities around Wallerberdina Station, regarding the proposal for a National Radioactive Waste Management Facility.
The ballot, conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), took place over a four-and-a-half-week period from Monday 11 November to Thursday 12 December, with the question posed to members of the communities being as follows:
“Do you support the proposed National Radioactive Waste Management Facility in your community?”
A total of 880 ballot papers were returned for scrutiny, 862 of which were formal votes. Of those:
- 408 (47.33%) voted Yes.
- 454 (52.67%) voted No.
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator the Hon Matt Canavan, acknowledged the ballot result which demonstrates there is not enough broad community support for the proposal.
“While the community ballot was just one of many measures I am considering, I have said that achieving at least a majority level of support was a necessary condition to achieving broad community support,” Minister Canavan said.
“This ballot does not demonstrate a sufficient level of support and I will no longer consider this site an option for the facility.
“I will make a formal announcement early next year on the site selection process, and would like to thank everyone who participated in the ballots and other consultation mechanisms.
“I especially want to thank the communities of Hawker and Quorn for their patience and resilience through this process. They are a fantastic community that I have had the privilege to know better through this process. I want to especially thank Flinders Ranges Council, the Outback Communities Authority, all members of the Consultative Committee and Economic Working Group, the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association and the Viliwarinha Yura Aboriginal Corporation.
“While we will not be proceeding with a radioactive waste site at Wallerberdina Station, I will continue to work with the community to invest $2 million through our Community Benefits Fund, and we will look for further ways to provide investment and benefits to the Flinders Ranges region.”
For more information on the project, go to: www.radioactivewaste.gov.au
