Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Ludlam, I will seek to provide you with information. The repeal of the Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act is in fact an election commitment which we will honour, which we stand by. However, it will be done as part of a total package which will involve a long-term solution to the profound difficulties associated with the management of radioactive waste. Australia, of course, as a signatory to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, has an obligation to ensure that radioactive waste is safely and securely managed. In fact, this is a problem that has defied the wit of governments over 35 years. There is a long history of attempts that have been made by the Commonwealth government to secure this matter—