Students and Indigenous Representatives to Celebrate No N-Dump at Woomera
July 16th 2004
Students and Indigenous Representatives to Celebrate No N-Dump at Woomera
Fifty students will depart from Melbourne on Saturday morning travelling
from Adelaide to Woomera on Sunday to meet with indigenous communities
and celebrate the Howard government back down over the nuclear dump.
The Radioactive Racism Tour, which has been organised by Friends of the
Earth, was planning take students to Woomera to meet with the Kupa Piti
Kungka Tjuta (Senior Aboriginal Women from Coober Pedy) and support their
fight to stop the nuclear dump in South Australia. But a recent turnaround
by the Howard government in the lead up to the Federal election has seen
a promise that there will be no national nuclear dump in South Australia.
Friends of the Earth is delighted that the Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta the
senior Aboriginal women's council from northern SA - have been successful
in their 6-year battle against the nuclear dump, said Friends of the Earth
campaigner Loretta O¹Brien. The gathering at Woomera will now be a chance
to celebrate the protection of this country from further radioactive poisoning.¹
The Radioactive Racism tour is aimed to educate and inform students about
the negative impacts of the nuclear industry on indigenous people in Australia.
Following the gathering at Woomera, students will tour the Olympic Dam
uranium mine, travel to Lake Eyre South to see the impacts of mining on
the mound springs, and visit the Beverley Uranium mine.
The Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta have direct experience of the negative impacts
of the nuclear industry, from nuclear testing at Maralinga to the largest
uranium mine in the southern hemisphere at Roxby. They have been campaigning
hard for may years to stop the nuclear dump, and last year won the prestigious
international prize the Goldman award in recognition of their efforts.
Students will hear of the importance of community action in shaping a
more sustainable and fair society,¹ said FoE tour Coordinator Ila Mark.
Contact:
Friends of the Earth- Tour Coordinators
Loretta O'Brien - 0418 178 053
Ila Marks - 0427 501 944
Jim Green - 0417 318 368