Australia releases shortlist of sites for its first nuclear waste facility

The Australian government is offering 7 million U.S dollars to the community that volunteers itself as the nation's first nuclear waste site, after lawmakers released a shortlist of six locations overnight.

Resources Minister Josh Frydenberg said on Friday that the government would not be pigeonholing one site by making the choice, rather, he said the decision would be left open to the six communities.

Three of the sites are located in the state of South Australia, with one each in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Frydenberg said government officials would be conducting a series of meetings with community leaders to discuss the plans.

"We won't unilaterally pick one, this is a voluntary community consultative process," Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Australia currently has the equivalent of around two Olympic-sized swimming pools of such waste, which may include laboratory items such as paper, plastic and glassware, and material used in medical treatments."

Frydenberg said Australia's current level of nuclear waste is small enough to be stored at each individual location, but admitted time is running out to create a long-term solution.

"More than 100 sites across the country, including hospitals and universities, are licensed to store this waste on an interim basis," he said.

"The (new) facility will be designed, built and operated to the highest safety and environmental standards."

The government led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is already under pressure to announce the facility, with nuclear waste on its way back to the country after being shipped to France for use in nuclear reactors.

Around 25 tonnes of the depleted uranium is making its way back to Australia, which will be stored in a temporary waste facility at the Lucas Heights uranium mine site in New South Wales.

The yet-to-be-decided permanent site is planned to be up and running before the end of the decade, with the consultative process at each of the six locations to wrap up early next year. Enditem