National Radioactive Waste Management Facility: have your say

Update 1 February 2020: The community ballots, public submission and business and neighbour surveys are now closed. The government has identified Napandee, near Kimba in South Australia, to host the facility.

The Australian Government is committed to delivering the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility on a site volunteered by the owner alongside a community that broadly supports hosting it. Indicators informing community sentiment include:

• community ballots
• public submissions
• business and neighbour surveys 

Who can participate

You can participate in any or all of the consultation methods relevant to you:

• as a neighbour to a nominated site
• a local business owner or operator
• a resident, or
• as an organisation or individual outside the communities with nominated sites

We encourage traditional owners to provide input through the public submission process and via ongoing consultation with Indigenous corporations.

How to have your say

You can inform your view by:

• reading background information on this website, on our archived site, or in the department’s community office
• speaking with an expert visiting your local community or your local community liaison officer
• calling the taskforce contact centre on 1800 682 704 to ask your questions
• discussing the nominated site proposal with your friends, family and community

Where to have your say: public ballots, surveys and submissions

Australia’s radioactive waste is stored in more than 100 locations around the country. Australia needs a single, safe, purpose-built radioactive waste management facility.

Have your say on the proposed site using the following participation options.

Kimba community ballot: 3 October to 7 November 2019

• Conducted by: District Council of Kimba and the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)
• Eligibility: residents in the District Council of Kimba local government area, eligible voters can cast a postal vote in the Kimba community ballot. Read more on the District Council of Kimba website.
• Privacy and publication: voting results released by the AEC.

Flinders Ranges community ballot: 11 November to 12 December 2019 

• Conducted by: Flinders Ranges Council and the AEC.
• Eligibility: residents in a 50 kilometre radius of the nominated site, eligible voters can cast a postal vote in the Flinders Ranges community ballot. Read more on the Flinders Ranges Council Facebook page.
• Privacy and publication: voting results released by the AEC.

Business survey: November - 19 December 2019

• Conducted by: ORIMA Research.
• Eligibility: a business with an active Australian Business Number on 1 October 2019, that’s listed on the Australian Business Register. See the Business Sentiment Survey Guidelines [364KB PDF] [65KB DOCX].
• Privacy and publication: de-identified and aggregated data, any publication subject to privacy laws.

Neighbour survey: November - 19 December 2019

• Conducted by: ORIMA Research.
• Eligibility: must own property or live in a 5 kilometre radius to the nominated site or Wallerberdina Station. See the Neighbour Sentiment Survey Guidelines [298KB PDF] [64KB DOCX].
• Privacy and publication: de-identified and aggregated data, any publication subject to privacy laws.

Submissions: closed 12 December 2019

• Conducted by: National Radioactive Waste Management Facility Taskforce.
• Eligibility: any person or organisation.
• Privacy and publication: private or public determined by consent. Information to include:
  • your name and contact details (optional)
  • whether you wish to have the submission made public, and if it should be published under your name, a pseudonym or anonymously
• Send a submission in writing to:
  • Email radioactivewaste@industry.gov.au
  • Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, National Radioactive Waste Section, GPO Box 2013, Canberra ACT 2601

Managing your privacy

Your ballot participation is anonymous. Responses to both the business and neighbour surveys will be de-identified.

Your submission can be anonymous too and will only be made public with your consent. Please note:

• All submissions will be logged, assigned a reference number and made public where permission is provided.
• Personal information may be disclosed to Ministers, as well as research organisations and consultants supporting or advising the department on this project.  
• Quantitative, non-identifiable data will be collected and may be published.
• Content may be redacted where it is defamatory, abusive or breaches privacy obligations.

A decision will be made about how all aspects of the community sentiment are publicly released in a way that meets privacy criteria.

How we will use your views

A range of factors may be taken into account when making a final decision on the site for the facility. These include whether the local community is broadly supportive along with relevant site-specific technical considerations.

Community support will be considered by drawing on the public ballots, submissions and surveys.

The AEC will conduct, scrutinise and count the community ballots. Submissions and survey results will be independently analysed by ORIMA research.

Read more

• Read how we’re managing radioactive waste
• Read about selecting a radioactive waste site
• Read reports and assessments on the site selection process

Connect with us

• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Join us on Facebook for project updates and community events

Contact us

• Email radioactivewaste@industry.gov.au
• Phone 13 28 46
• Write to us at: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources; National Radioactive Waste Section, GPO Box 2013, Canberra ACT 2601

See also

See National Radioactive Waste Management Facility news