Resources Minister Josh Frydenberg is confident of finding a suitable site for a nuclear waste dump despite a number of "false starts" in the past.
The federal government has shortlisted Cortlinye, Pinkawillinie, and Barndioota in South Australia, Hale in the Northern Territory, Sallys Flat in New South Wales and Oman Ama in Queensland as possible locations.
The six were chosen from 28 voluntarily nominated sites across the country and will be whittled down to one or two next year following community consultation.
The preferred site is expected to be in operation by the end of the decade and will house low to intermediate nuclear waste.
Hill End resident Lino Alvarez, who lives 10 kilometres from the Sallys Flat site, is terrified at the prospect of a waste dump.
"It's a disgusting proposition in a lovely part of the world," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"It will be a danger to everything."
Mr Frydenberg tried to reassure Mr Alvarez.
"When he drives to work today or drives home he very well could be passing one of those 100 sites in Australia where nuclear waste is currently stored and that includes many hospitals," the minister said.
Rather than dispersing waste to sites across the country, it would be better to the waste it in one location.
Australians are beneficiaries of the nuclear industry, in particular when it came to medicine, Mr Frydenberg said.
"Australia can't ask another country to dispose of its waste, we're internationally obliged to deal with our own waste."
The minister conceded there had been "false starts" in the past, but the difference now was that landowners themselves had come forward.
The owner of the selected land would be paid up to four times its value, with the surrounding community set to receive at least $10 million.
"This is not a unilateral government decision we will be making here," he said.
Mr Frydenberg also clarified Australia would not be storing high-level waste from countries buying our uranium.
The site selection process was also "quite distinct" from a royal commission in South Australia examining nuclear industry options.
Nationals MP John Cobb, whose NSW electorate of Calare covers the proposed Sallys Flat site, said the benefits to having a waste dump in the community included more jobs.
"But I understand that people will be somewhat nervous about it," he told the ABC.
He assured them there was little, if any, risk, but asked they keep an open mind during consultation over the next four months.
"I think people need to sit down, listen and learn what it's about and then make their decision."
Goondiwindi Mayor Graeme Scheu only learned on Friday one of the shortlisted sites, Oman Ama, was in his council area.
The government's list is based on direct expressions of interest by landholders and his council hasn't been involved so far.
"We will have to keep a very open mind at this stage," he told AAP.
"We have a million questions. What type of waste it will involve, what are the restrictions, how would it be transported in and out of there? We need to know all of that before we even start to discuss it."
He noted one consideration was the fact that Oman Ama, a tiny town west of Warwick, was situated near the Coolmunda dam.
Mr Scheu agreed with Mr Frydenberg that Australia needed a way to dispose of nuclear waste from medical services.
"If we're going to take benefits from medical advancements, we've got to be able to responsibly store the waste from that," he added.
Nuclear waste dump shortlist:
SALLYS FLAT (NSW) - 64.4 kilometres from Bathurst
HALE (NT) - 140 kilometres from Alice Springs.
CORTLINYE (SA) - 160 kilometres west of Whyalla.
PINKAWILLINIE (SA) - 187 kilometres west of Whyalla
BARNDIOOTA (SA) - 40 kilometres north of Port Augusta
OMAN AMA (Qld) - 92.5 kilometres from Stanthorpe
Timeline:
- 120 days of community consultation
- Short list to be narrowed to two or three
- Federal government to name preferred site by end of 2016
- Site to be operational by 2020
(SOURCE: Resources Minister Josh Frydenberg press release)
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