The Wire

Since the first nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights opened in 1971, it has been producing small amounts of nuclear waste. Over 40 years, those small amounts have been steadily adding up, but we’re no closer to a storage solution. Two weeks ago, the Government scrapped plans to create a national storage facility in South Australia, which was recommended by the national nuclear regulator. Now, green groups are calling for greater transparency in Australia’s nuclear program, and for the Government to deal seriously with the problem of nuclear waste. Mark Franklin spoke to Dr Ian Smith, is the Director of ANSTO, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, which operates the Lucas Heights facility. He says we need a national nuclear waste store. James Courtney is a Greenpeace spokesman on nuclear issues. While he doesn’t condemn nuclear research outright, he says nuclear waste is a problem without a solution.