MEDIA RELEASE BY THE HON. LES JOHNSON,  M.H.R. FOR HUGHES,

OPPOSITION WHIP. 2 BOYLE STREET,  SUTHERLAND Phone: 521.6262

The Minister fox-  National Development has refused to give

Mr. Les Johnson, M.H.R. for Hughes,  an assurance that the

nuclear waste buried at Maralinga will not be transported \

to and stored at the A.A.E.C. Establishment at Lucas Heights,  i

Sydney. I

Mr. Les Johnson said that from the time it became known that t

there was a discreet mass of plutonium buried at Maralinga . - '  ’  '  I

residents and Action Groups have contacted his Office concerned 1

that this highly radioactive material would be exhumed and trans-t-ported to Lucas Heights for characterisation and storage.

"The Australian Government under the nuclear non-proliferation

treaty is obliged to subject the plutonium, if it is to be Ã¢ÂÂ

.  I

dug up, to vigorous analyses to determine the exact quantity

and characteristics", Mr. Johnson said. !

"As the Defence Minister claims that the Atomic Energy

Commission is able to handle the substance it is obvious that ^

the Government is seriously considering transporting plutonium ;

to SydneyÂ»" he added. Ã¢ÂÂ   Â·  I

Mr. Johnson said that ever since the Labor Party declared its |

opposition to the mining and export of Uranium until, among : Ã¢ÂÂ   -  I

other things,  solutions were found to the unsolved problems i

concerning high level radioactive waste,  the Prime Minister has

been at pains to attempt to assure the Australian people that

there are no problems. I

"It is blatantly clear that -the Fraser Government has been i

Ã¢ÂÂ¢deliberately misleading the_ Australian people on this issue" Ã¢ÂÂ¢ ~ ’  " " ................... ' ' ' "  *  . .  j

Mr. Johnson said. !

I  ' ' Ã¢ÂÂ   Ã¢ÂÂ   .  Ã¢ÂÂ   Â· V ,  , -  1

I I  It is no solution to the waste problem at Maralinga to * Â·  .  " j

create a waste problem in Sutherland (Sydney)", he said. 1

20.10.1978

NO GOVERNMENT 'ASSURANCES ON MARALINGA WASTE

