The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has approved a licence for the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) to establish a prescribed radiation facility known as the ‘Controlled Industrial Facility’ at HMAS Stirling Navy Base, Garden Island, located in Rockingham, 47 km from Perth CBD in Western Australia.
The facility will store nuclear waste from US, UK and possibly Australian nuclear submarines at HMAS Stirling off Perth. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) said the license is “intended” to cover low-level waste from US and UK nuclear submarines.
However, the Australian Submarine Agency admitted in the June Senate Estimates hearings that the licence also covers intermediate-level waste.
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ARPANSA Approves Siting Licence for Controlled Industrial Facility
This facility is part of the Submarine Rotational Force – West program, intended to manage low-level waste and perform maintenance for nuclear submarines.
Australia’s nuclear regulator has approved a license to store waste from US, UK, and possibly Australian nuclear submarines at HMAS Stirling off Perth.
The licence allows the Australian Submarine Agency to establish a Controlled Industrial Facility to handle waste from US and UK nuclear submarines that dock at HMAS Stirling Navy Base, Garden Island, Western Australia.
In March 2023, the US, UK, and Australia, as part of the AUKUS security partnership, announced the Submarine Rotational Forces-West (SRF-W) initiative.
This initiative involves a permanent rotational presence of US and UK nuclear-powered submarines at HMAS Stirling.
Under AUKUS, US and UK submarines will visit Stirling more frequently and for longer durations.
Australia’s nuclear-propelled submarines, if they are delivered, will be based at HMAS Stirling starting in the early 2030s.
The USS Emory S. Land has been deployed to HMAS Stirling to conduct the US Navy’s first submarine maintenance work in Australia during the southern hemisphere winter.
As part of the AUKUS agreement, 30 Australian sailors will be onboard to learn how to repair a Virginia-class submarine.
The Australian Submarine Agency was established on 1 July 2023 to manage the acquisition, construction, delivery, technical governance, sustainment, and disposal of Australia’s conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarines. This initiative is part of the AUKUS partnership.
The ASA’s expected budget in the 2024-25 Budget was AUD$243.4 million in 2023-24, increasing to AUD$527.4 million in 2026-27
HMAS Stirling and Fleet Base West
HMAS Stirling serves as the home port for 11 fleet units, including five Anzac class frigates, all six of the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins class submarines, and a replenishment vessel.
The facility will function as a technical and engineering workshop for the servicing and repair of naval nuclear propulsion components and tools.
It will also handle the receipt, management, treatment, decontamination, and temporary storage of low-level radioactive material from conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines operating from HMAS Stirling starting in 2027. Construction is slated to begin in 2025.
To meet Australia’s stringent licensing requirements, the ASA must apply for a separate construction licence from ARPANSA in due course.
ARPANSA Approval for AUKUS nuclear waste
ARPANSA received 165 public submissions concerning this licence application, with many expressing concerns over the lack of public information regarding the scope of the application, community impact, and decision-making.
“It is remarkable that ASA failed to include in its public consultation material the fact that this license allows for the handling of intermediate-level waste. This waste is significantly more toxic than any other nuclear waste currently stored in Australia,” Greens Senator David Shoebridge said.
The Albanese Labor government is currently seeking to pass legislation that could make any location in Australia a nuclear waste dumping ground without public consultation or First Nations consent.
The Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Bill 2023 also permits the US and the UK to dump high-level nuclear waste in Australia.
“While this licence was quietly pushed through, the Albanese Labor Government has stalled legislation in Parliament that would allow unlimited amounts of high-level nuclear waste to be dumped here,” Senator Shoebridge said.
“This ARPANSA licence looks like a rushed plan B from Labor to avoid the political damage from pushing its naval nuclear waste legislation while also trying to oppose Dutton’s disastrous civil nuclear plans.”
USS Annapolis (SSN 760), a US nuclear-powered Los Angeles class fast-attack submarine arrives at HMAS Stirling. Photo by ASA Media
Australia is hosting the USS Annapolis, a nuclear-powered Los Angeles class submarine, and her crew at HMAS Stirling in Perth, Western Australia.
This visit marks the second port visit by a US nuclear-powered submarine since the announcement of the AUKUS Optimal Pathway in March 2023.
“Starting with USS North Carolina (SSN 777) last August, these visits are taking on a more important meaning for the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Submarine Agency as we build the infrastructure, knowledge, and stewardship needed to establish SRF-West in 2027,” Rear Admiral Matt Buckley, Head of Nuclear Submarine Capability at the Australian Submarine Agency said.
Greens react to AUKUS nuclear waste approval
“We are already seeing the toxic impacts of AUKUS with this move to store nuclear waste from US and UK nuclear submarines off Perth. The community overwhelmingly opposed this application and pointed out the lack of transparency and balance in the approvals process,” Senator Shoebridge said.
Senator Dorinda Cox, WA Senator and Greens spokesperson for First Nations, Resources, North Australia, Trade and Tourism, said:
“As a First Nations woman, today’s approval of this licence devastates and angers me. It is shameful that although I stood with my community outside Minister King’s office in protest and the voices were clear, they did not want the storage of nuclear waste on their lands, this licence has still been granted.”
“There has been no respect shown to the community and to Traditional owners who opposed this licence.”
“I personally raised this lack of prior and informed consent at recent Estimates and was assured consultation would happen. Myself and the Traditional Owners of these lands are still waiting for the basic respect of a meeting to share our concerns and be consulted with.”
“Today’s decision yet again silences our voices and is shameful. First Nations peoples have seen nuclear storage devastate their lands, waterways and communities before. This storage is costly and will destroy irreplaceable cultural heritage, including intangible heritage such as song lines and the local biodiversity. Why are the Labor government allowing this to take place in our waters alongside the silencing of First Nations voices again and at the risk and detriment of all Australians? This is shameful.”
This decision marks a significant step in managing nuclear waste from allied submarines but has sparked controversy and concern among various community groups and political figures. The approval process and its implications for public health, environmental safety, and First Nations rights remain hotly debated topics.
For more detailed information, visit the ARPANSA website.
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