'All the spin in the world': Greens and Coalition pan nuclear PR quest

Meantime, the Coalition has accused the government of "steamrolling regional communities" and said it is "little wonder Labor is seeking external help".

It comes after The Canberra Times revealed on Monday new documents, released quietly on the federal tender site, showing the government calling for urgent expressions of interest for public relations services to help manage public discussion of the "highly specialised high-outrage area" of nuclear waste storage in Australia.

Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King said the government is "firm in the need for the commonwealth to safely manage its own radioactive waste", but Senator Shoebridge has dismissed the government's pursuit of "PR spin".

"The idea that we can make money from turning our beautiful country into a nuclear waste dump is hard to swallow," he told this masthead.

"This is the kind of toxic deal that flows from AUKUS and all the spin in the world will not convince the public it is a good idea."

Senator Shoebridge, the Greens' defence spokesperson, has been critical of the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Bill, saying it is a backdoor to storage for waste from all AUKUS submarines including those from the UK and the US.

The approach to market, posted March 26, comes six months after the government abandoned plans - chosen by the Morrison government - for a low-level nuclear waste facility on farmland near Kimba in remote South Australia amid community division including opposition from the area's traditional owners, the Barngarla people.

The quest for a highly-skilled nuclear-specific crisis management team appears to address high criticism of the way the site at Napandee, a 211-hectare property at the top of the Eyre Peninsula, was announced in 2021 and then argued as needed.

"When First Nations people are victorious in protecting country from the nuclear industry the response from the Albanese Government seems to be, how can we ensure this doesn't happen again?" said Senator Shoebridge, who also rejects there is immediate urgency in addressing radioactive waste storage at the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor site in Sydney.

"The Albanese government's plan to silence First Nations voices and then do some PR spin after the fact is not democratic or good government."

The Kimba site was championed by the Liberal member for the large South Australian seat of Grey, Rowan Ramsey, who has just announced he will retire at the next election.

The Opposition's energy spokesperson Ted O'Brien has accused Labor of a "willingness to steamroll regional communities" whether it be "nuclear energy, waste or renewable energy infrastructure".

He said Australia has been taken "all the way back to square one" on the long-term disposal of low-level radioactive waste.

"This is why, in government, the Coalition led a diligent, multi-year process to consult the Kimba community before holding a community ballot - securing a strong majority of support for a nuclear waste facility. This is the threshold Labor needs to meet," he told The Canberra Times.

"It is little wonder Labor is seeking external help. The government has proven incapable of proper community engagement, with a record of steamrolling regional communities in desperate pursuit of its failing renewables-only policy."

The approach to market shows the Department of Industry, Science and Resources seeking "nuclear-specific" public relations and professional communications services to work with staff from the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARWA) to support the public's "comprehensive understanding of the nation's radioactive waste inventory, origins and need for safe management".

The documents refer to a need to engage with "impacted communities" and hold "stringent preparation for technical and challenging questions from the public to ensure ARWA can answer questions and address concerns transparently".

"The contract procurement is being undertaken at this time as these skills are especially relevant during the early stages of a new radioactive waste management approach being identified (i.e. the first three-five years for a 100-year radioactive waste management project)," the documents read.

The contract for services, which potential suppliers have to bid for over the next two weeks, would be from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026, with a possibility of extension.

"Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King has instructed her department to develop policy options for managing Commonwealth radioactive waste into the future and this work is ongoing," a spokesperson for Ms King said in a statement.

"The government has been firm in the need for the Commonwealth to safely manage its own radioactive waste."