Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 55:48 to 1:00:11
Officials discuss the regulatory framework and timelines for managing low-level radioactive waste at HMAS Stirling.
Topics: Infrastructure, Land management
Speakers: Senator David Shoebridge, Tim Hodgson, Senator Fatima Payman, Unknown Speaker
Admiral Mead, the USS Colorado is now at HMAS Stirling um and it's undertaking a submarine maintenance period. Previously, the US held any waste created during maintenance and took it back to the US. Is is that right?
>> That's correct.
>> Um what's the intention for the waste produced in in this case, the radioactive any radioactive waste produced during the maintenance for USS Colorado?
>> Uh USS Colorado will retain the waste and take it back with them.
All right. uh what is the at what stage is the ASAs um uh development of a domestic waste storage facility for nuclear waste? Where are you up to?
>> Um I'll might hand that over to Mr. Tim Hodgson uh who's uh the lead for that.
>> Uh Tim Hodgson, Deputy Director General Technical. Uh we're going through the process at the moment of uh setting up uh the uh processes um and equipment to do that. We will be uh simulating these type activities as part of our process of getting uh our licenses in place. And once we have satisfied ourselves that we are ready and that we have um satisfied the regulator, we will then be issued our license to be able to do that. And uh we're confident to be able to do that to meet our timetable against the Surf West time timelines.
>> What is the timetable?
>> Uh the timeline is to meet the meet the Surf West requirements of later next year.
>> Okay. Second second half of last next year.
quarter four quarter four of 2027.
>> And the intent is to store the radioactive material on site at HMAS Stirling or do you have another facility where you're storing it?
>> Uh it'll be temporarily stored there until we move it to either another interim storage or its final disposal site.
>> But but the license you're intending to get and have operative by fourth quarter of next year um where will that say where is where is it intended to store the radioactive material under that license?
>> It'll be temporarily stored in HMAS Stirling.
>> Uh and will there be any at that stage you're not I understand the timetable is you won't have um completed either the site analysis let alone the licensing for a permanent storage facility, is that right?
>> Uh we won't have decided the final location for the store the long-term storage of low-level waste at that point.
>> Yeah, have you identified sites for it? >> Have you have you scoped out potential sites? >> So when you say a temporary storage at HMAS Stirling, what's the timeline if you haven't even begun scoping out sites for a permanent facility?
>> we're working with our colleagues in our to find our approach to coming up with a longer-term solution to that.
>> Working with your colleagues where, sorry Mr. Hudson?
>> Uh the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency.
>> All right. Um and what is the role of the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency in terms of identifying a site?
>> Uh they're providing us with advice.
>> Um who's the Minister Minister responsible for the Australian Radioactive waste agency.
>> Minister King is the lead for that and of course there is a significant amount of low-level radioactive waste produced by a range of institutions in Australia. We've spoken about this before, universities, hospitals, mining sites, and the nuclear facility at Lucas Heights. Uh so, our I think it's clearly a It was a very sensible decision to be made that we should join up with our and um identify or go through the process of um working together for low-level waste um disposal sites.
to go back to Rotation Force West, um