Terra nullius? Give us a nuclear dump
Paul Toohey; 12/6/08
It’s a brave nuke world. The Northern Land Council has confronted notions that Aborigines are anti-development sticks-in-the-mud who want to lock up their land for all time. They say they are motivated in the interests of all Australians in pushing for a nuclear waste dump to be built on Aboriginal land at Muckaty station, north of Tennant Creek. The NLC’s chairman, Wali Wunungmurra, and the NLC’s full 82-member council, sitting in Mataranka, south of Katherine, yesterday issued a strong statement as a “clarification” after new NLC chief executive Kim Hill made ambiguous statements on radio saying traditional owners had not made up their minds about wanting the dump. Mr Wunungmurra said there was no doubt. “Ngapa (desert rain tribe) traditional owners overwhelmingly support the nomination of their country at Muckaty station for the commonwealth radioactive waste facility, as does NLC full council,” he said.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23850128-5013404,00.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Nuclear