A federal politician has likened the vote in favour of a nuclear waste dump at Eyre Peninsula in South Australia to the 2017 national poll to allow same sex marriage.
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Grey MP Rowan Ramsey said that in the last ballot of Kimba residents 62 per cent had voted in favor of the proposed storage site.
"Should we disappoint the majority or the minority? If you applied the same criteria to same-sex marriage, you would have said that there is a significant minority opposed to it," he said.
"Yes, there is a vocal minority, but they are a minority. We live in a democracy. It is a strong result, same thing. It is quite plain - the people of Kimba want this," he said.
The Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation is challenging the Federal Government on the location of the site.
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The proposed site of Napandee near Kimba is on traditional Barngarla land and would be used to store low to medium-level radioactive waste, most of which is created by nuclear medicine.
While more than 60 per cent of voters in the Kimba local government ballot supported the facility, 100 per cent of Barngarla voters rejected the proposal.
Mr Ramsey's comments followed a Welcome to Country provided by Uncle Harry and Ms Linda Dare at the opening of the Joy Baluch AM Bridge project on March 15.
Uncle Harry reminded the community that the Barngarla were fighting in the Federal Court.
"We don't need nuclear waste in our country. I am sure you all agree with that. We have been down there for a week fighting the government," he said.
"They have spent $14 million dollars fighting us. We are just a small group of Aboriginal people. We are fighting for the betterment of all Australia. That is my message to you - let's keep Australia safe," he said.
Mr Ramsey said in reply, "It is in fact not the Commonwealth that has taken the Barngarla to court - it is the Barngarla that have taken the Commonwealth to court."
"I would never have raised the issue there, except that he did," Mr Ramsey told The Transcontinental.
"The government has spent a lot of money around the Kimba proposal and, of course, they would defend their position.
"It is a very misleading thing to say that somehow the government is picking on them.
"None of the Barngarla live in Kimba and haven't done so for many many years and the land is fully-extinguished native title.
"Uncle Harry made a point of it because I was there; now if people throw eggs at me in public I will stand up for myself and my community and my electorate."
Infrastructure and Transport Department chief executive John Whelan acknowledged the Barngarla's "continuing connection to land and waters" in his opening remarks on the night.
Neralie Bailey
Post graduate student at Monash Uni, crazy cat lady, guinea pig slave and owner of five miniature horses and a bonkers Chihuahua. Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Arts (UniSA) with a major in Applied Linguistics. Living in Port Pirie with my three children and too many animals. Love writing about science and health, animals and anything language.
Post graduate student at Monash Uni, crazy cat lady, guinea pig slave and owner of five miniature horses and a bonkers Chihuahua. Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Arts (UniSA) with a major in Applied Linguistics. Living in Port Pirie with my three children and too many animals. Love writing about science and health, animals and anything language.
