TELLUS HOLDINGS —
SANDY RIDGE PROJECT
52. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to Tellus Holdings Ltd's
Sandy Ridge project.
(1) Why is the
Tellus waste acceptance criterion 100 000 becquerels per gram for uranium-238,
when the laws of physics dictate that the highest possible value for pure
metallic uranium-238 is around 12 400 becquerels per gram?
(2) Did Tellus do a full radiological
characterisation of the site?
(3) If no to (2), why not?
(4) Did Tellus measure the
concentrations of all relevant radionuclides in the soil, water and air on
site?
(5) If no to (4), why not?
Hon ALANNA
CLOHESY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. I am advised as follows.
(1) The waste
acceptance criteria are currently under review and yet to be fully assessed.
Any issues identified in the current criteria will be addressed during the
review and assessment process.
(2) The extensive
documentation provided by Tellus is yet to be fully reviewed and will be
subject to review by not only the Radiological Council and its officers but
also independent experts.
(3)–(5) Refer to (2).