Royal Commission vs Community Permission

MEDIA RELEASE, 17 December 2015

National and state environment groups have today released an assessment of the state Royal Commission into the nuclear industry in SA. The report – commissioned by Conservation SA, the Australian Conservation Foundation and Friends of the Earth Australia – looks at the Commission’s progress since its surprise unveiling by Premier Jay Weatherill ten months ago.

The report raises serious concerns about the Royal Commission, from the unrepresentative and unbalanced composition of the Expert Advisory Committee, conflicts of interest, the Royal Commission's unwillingness to correct factual errors, to a repeated pattern of pro-nuclear claims being uncritically accepted and promoted.

The Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA) is appalled by the Senate vote (Thursday 19 March) not to repeal the Commonwealth radioactive Waste Management Act -2005 (CRWMA).  Labor Senators voted not to repeal this act, despite it being one of their firm election promises.  Only the Greens voted to repeal it, on a day in the senate where such things as Alcopops Tax and Workchoices were more prominent and nuke waste dumps almost slipped totally under the radar.