Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications Legislation Committee
Answers to questions on notice
Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities portfolio
Supplementary Budget Estimates, October 17-18 2011

Topic: Sustainability Indicators

Senator Ludlam asked:

Senator LUDLAM: In two and a half minutes. It is the sustainability indicators. We had a reasonably lengthy discussion on that last time. Can you give us an update on that one?

Mr Thompson: There have been quite extensive but targeted consultations with a range of stakeholders around the country who are already engaged in different types of sustainability indicator work, which Mr McNee could add to if necessary. We are continuing work on potential indicators to put to government for its consideration before the end of this year.

Senate Standing Committee on Economics
Budget Estimates Hearing 2011-12
30 May 2011
AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: AUSTRALIAN NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION
QUESTION No.: BI-1

Senator LUDLAM: I wonder if you can give us an update on the decommissioning first of the small Moata reactor, which I understand is still underway, and secondly for the HIFAR reactor. Can you just give us an update on the status of both of those?
Dr Paterson: The Moata reactor has completed its decommissioning. On 17 May we received a letter from ARPANSA-the regulator-indicating that they had satisfied themselves that the decommissioning activities were indeed complete. Therefore, we have successfully completed the first decommissioning of our reactor in Australia. That was a very positive process for us. It was under the scrutiny of the IAEA, and it also won the New South Wales engineering project award from last year and the small project award at the national level. So it was a very controlled, carefully thought through, planned and executed exercise which has successfully decommissioned that reactor.
Senator LUDLAM: Okay. Where is the contaminated material currently being stored?
Dr Paterson: The contaminated material is currently stored in our stores on the site. The ultimate destination in international best practice would be to a national repository.
Senator LUDLAM: So that would be removed if and when a national repository is established. What is the volume of the material and in what form is it?
Dr Paterson: I will take that on notice, Senator.
SENATOR LUDLAM: Thanks, if you could. Also how you treat and condition that material-that would be appreciated

ANSWER
The quantity of radioactive waste material generated from the decommissioning of the MOATA Reactor included:
• 115 Tonnes (approx 55 m3) of low level solid waste, of which 90 per cent is low activity concrete and 10 per cent is lightly activated steel and other metals;
• 12 Tonnes of lightly activated activity graphite; and
• 100g of intermediate level waste (stainless steel).
The low activity solid concrete waste is currently stored in engineered steel containers. The containers are currently stored in the ANSTO Low Level Solid Waste Storage facility. When the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility is established, the MOATA low level waste will be further conditioned (the containers will be filled with cement grout) and will comply with specific Waste Acceptance Criteria for disposal at the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility.

Tiesdau 18 October 2011 - Community Affairs Committee

Senator LUDLAM: I am going to put a bunch of questions to ARPANSA in a minute about food irradiation. But I just want to check with Ms Halton first: if I was asking questions specifically about labelling for products that have been irradiated, would they be directed better to you or to ARPANSA?

Ms Halton : You need to ask here.

Supemenatry Budget Estimates 2011-12 - Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Thursday 20 October 2011

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Program 2.1 - Housing assistance and Homelessness Prevention

[09:36]

CHAIR: I welcome Senator the Hon. Mark Arbib, the departmental Secretary, Mr Finn Pratt, and portfolio officers of FaHCSIA today. I put on record again my appreciation to the officers for their cooperation and flexibility in fitting into the sequence we have for estimates. Minister, would you like to make an opening statement?

Senator Arbib: No, but I thank the committee for its flexibility in starting early tomorrow morning. I do appreciate it. I've got two little prints of myself who will be happy that dad's come home. Thank you.

.....

Social Housing Advisory Committee

Senator LUDLAM: Mine are more on the social housing advisory committee, so we will tag team. Welcome back. My question is about the social housing expert panel, which I think is a very good idea. That was announced on 28 September. Can you just tell us how it was appointed?