ARPANSA, the government agency that protects Australians from radiation, last week signed off on a deal to store nuclear waste on Garden Island, off the south coast of Perth, closer to Rockingham. But locals shouldn’t concern themselves about it, as, according to the agency, it’s just low-level waste.
This low-level radioactive waste is to be produced by the US and UK nuclear-powered submarines that will soon be on permanent rotation.
Known as Submarine Rotational Force-West, this military presence will be based at HMAS Stirling, which is also located on Garden Island, from 2027 onwards.
The waste might also be that produced by Australian nuclear-powered submarines (SSN), if the eight involved in the AUKUS deal ever do come to fruition, as despite our government about to toss billions in their direction, they’re not a guaranteed return.
And as Greens Senator David Shoebridge pointed out last week, the “low-level nuclear waste” to be stored at Garden Island will also be comprised of intermediate-level waste, as this was ascertained via questions put to the Australian Submarine Agency during June Senate estimates.
Indeed, nuclear-propelled submarines also produce high-level radioactive waste, but there’s nothing to worry about there, as ARPANSA didn’t mention that in its press release either.
Although the Albanese government has been searching around for a nuclear waste dump, where this high-level radioactive waste can be buried beneath unceded First Nations land, without free, prior and informed consent, and it remains highly potent for about 100,000 years.
So, for those tuning in for the first time, welcome to the new Australia: a nation where so vast and swift is its militarisation taking place since AUKUS was announced in September 2021, that nuclear waste storage, especially permanent dumps on First Peoples land, doesn’t even make the headlines.
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