The Wire

The Medical Association for Prevention of War has accused federal politicians of making dishonest claims about the importance of a nuclear waste dump for the health of Australians. The Coalition government’s only Territory, Senator Nigel Scullion, claimed that the NT government’s attempt to block the establishment of a facility for storing radioactive waste “has the potential to reduce Australia to Third World health status” and that “the lives of many Australians …will be jeopardized” The Federal government is determined to build a new and substantially larger nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights in southern Sydney. To obtain an operating license for the new reactor, the government must establish a viable waste management plan. Its plan is to build an underground nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory, despite opposition from the Territory government. Doctors from the Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW) are adamant that a new nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights is not required for medical purposes and that a number of alternatives ways to provide nuclear medical care in Australia. Dr Sue Wareham of the MAPW explained to Sarah Greenlees why she believes federal politicians have misrepresented the situation as it relates to health care.