The Maralinga Rehabilitation Project remediated the former British atomic test sites at Maralinga and Emu in South Australia. A preferred rehabilitation option, one of a range of options developed by technical advisers (the Technical Assessment Group), was agreed to in 1991 by the Australian and South Australian governments and the traditional Aboriginal owners, Maralinga Tjarutja,. Work commenced on the Project in 1996 and was completed in 2000.
The Project was conducted in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency and International Commission on Radiological Protection guidelines on the rehabilitation of contaminated sites, and with relevant Australian codes of practice. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) monitored the Project, and issued clearance certificates for the remediated areas.
The Project surpassed the standards set at its inception. Most of the former Maralinga test site (approximately 3,200 square kilometres) is now safe for unrestricted access. As a precautionary measure, approximately 120 square kilometres, enclosed within an area of 412 square kilometres delineated by marker posts, is considered safe for access but not for permanent occupancy.
The rehabilitated test site land was returned to the traditional owners in November 2009 under terms set out in the Maralinga Nuclear Test Site Handback Deed.
Rehabilitation of Former Nuclear Test Sites at Emu and Maralinga (Australia) 2003 - Report by the Maralinga Rehabilitation Technical Advisory Committee [PDF, 5MB] (known as the MARTAC Report) contains a brief history of Maralinga and a thorough report on the Maralinga Rehabilitation Project.