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ABC NEWS (Australia)

INTRO A former senator has raised concerns about documents he says reveal government discussions about the defueling and dismantling of nuclear submarines at South Australia’s Osborne shipyards. Rex Patrick has obtained details that show it was a topic raised with defence industries during a government trip to the UK last year.

Transcript

00:00On the day of Donald Trump's inauguration, a press conference at Osborne.

00:06And reassurances, AUKUS is still on.

00:09My state and this government is all in on AUKUS.

00:13Key to the agreement between the US, UK and Australia is the construction of nuclear submarines

00:18in Adelaide's Osborne shipyards.

00:21But that's led to questions.

00:23How will the site handle the nuclear technology and the waste it ultimately creates?

00:28Decisions around high-level nuclear waste are decisions that last for generations upon

00:35generations.

00:36They are not decisions that should simply be made and presented as a fait accompli.

00:42A former senator and submariner, Rex Patrick is running for the Senate again as the South

00:47Australian candidate for the Jackie Lambie network.

00:51He's obtained documents through Freedom of Information that include a briefing paper

00:56from a trip the Treasurer and Defence Industries Minister Stephen Mulligan made to the UK late

01:01last year.

01:03It says that he would discuss defence company Babcock's approach to nuclear-powered submarine

01:08sustainment, defuelling and disposal, including radioactive waste management.

01:14Rex Patrick says it's a sign there are plans underway for the nuclear submarines to be

01:19defuelled and dismantled at Osborne.

01:21I don't think it's reasonable for Rex Patrick to insinuate that that was the focus of the

01:27discussions because that wasn't the focus of the discussions.

01:31The Minister says the focus of the discussions with Babcock was on how it manages its relationship

01:36with the local community, as the state government embarks on a plan to triple the size of the

01:41Osborne shipyards, a challenge when locals are already voicing concerns about the program.

01:47The main thing is they haven't told us anything.

01:51Every step of the way we've been ambushed.

01:53We weren't informed, we weren't asked whether we wanted an orcas facility in our neighbourhood.

01:59Late last year legislation passed federal parliament allowing nuclear waste to be stored

02:04at Osborne, but the government insists it will only be low-level material, with a location

02:09for any high-level waste storage still to be decided.

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