Australian Radioactive Waste Agency

Content under review

The information on this webpage may no longer be current. This follows a Federal Court order to set aside the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility site declaration. Read about the decision.

23 August 2023

Radioactive materials are used in:

medicine
scientific research
industry
agriculture
technology.

They’re used to diagnose many heart, lung and musculoskeletal conditions and treat specific types of cancer. It’s likely that all Australians will benefit from nuclear medicine in their lifetime.

With these benefits comes a responsibility to safely manage, store and dispose of radioactive waste.

Managing radioactive waste

We store radioactive waste in many locations around the country, including hospitals, science facilities and universities. While safe, these facilities are not purpose-built, and long-term management of Australia’s waste at these locations is not sustainable.

We are working to build a single, purpose-built facility to responsibly manage and safely store and dispose of radioactive waste. Any material accepted at the facility must meet strict waste acceptance criteria.

Australian Radioactive Waste Management Framework

Australia is committed to providing safe and sustainable radioactive waste management over generations.

Site selection

After a 7 year consultation process, the Australian Government acquired land for the site near Kimba in South Australia. The former minister declared this the facility site on 26 November 2021.

These are significant steps in establishing this crucial piece of national infrastructure. They will help secure the future of Australia’s nuclear medicine industry and nuclear research capabilities.

Minister’s statement of reasons for the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility site declaration

The Minister declared part of the land at Napandee as the site for the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility.

Selecting a national radioactive waste management site

The site selection process involved voluntary nomination, public and community consultation and technical assessments over 6 years.

Site characterisation activities

Site characterisation activities will inform the final design of the facility and the different regulatory applications.

Site characterisation activities

Site characterisation activities provide data on the selected site area.

Delivering community benefits

The facility will benefit the local region through:

job and contracting opportunities during construction
45 jobs during operation
improved infrastructure, including water, power, communications, transport and waste
increased local investment.

As the host community for the facility, Kimba in South Australia will receive a community development package of up to $31 million. This package includes:

a $20 million community fund to give long-term support to the region
$8 million worth of grants to strengthen Kimba’s economic and skills base
up to $3 million from the government’s Indigenous Advancement Strategy to support First Nations opportunities.

We are also sponsoring activities in Kimba that:

support the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency’s (ARWA) community engagement
give tangible benefits to the community.

Local not-for-profit organisations can apply for up to $2,000 each.

Communities close to the nominated sites considered during the site selection process have received several rounds of grant funding through a Community Benefit Program. This funding:

recognises social impacts on communities near the nominated sites
increases economic opportunities for affected communities.

More information