Federal Resources Minister Josh Frydenberg is staying quiet on which regional councils have put their names up to host a nuclear waste dump.

The Federal Government is still looking for a suitable site to build its planned nuclear waste dump, which will bring together stashes of low-level radioactive waste (currently held at around 100 different sites) into a single place.

The idea has been stuck in a political, legal and planning no-man’s-land for over twenty years.

It is a real hot potato for many shires, which would welcome the federal funding and jobs such a facility would bring, but baulk at intense opposition and criticism flung at any nuclear matter from certain sections of their constituency.

In Western Australia, the Shires of Leonora and Coolgardie say they are interested in hosting the facility, but Mr Frydenberg would not even acknowledge that.

He said he could not reveal the communities on the list of prospective sites, but that the Government would “be announcing the results before the end of the year”.

The Resources Minister said a shortlist would be announced in coming weeks, as which point proper community consultation could begin.

He said locals’ feedback would be a major factor in deciding the waste dump’s final location.

Mr Frydenberg also said the final location could expect considerable financial support from the Commonwealth to assist with managing the facility.

The facility is intended to consolidate Australia’s nuclear waste, which is currently stored at more than 100 separate locations including hospital basements, mine sites and science labs.

“It could be gowns that have been used, glasses or goggles that have been used in nuclear-related medicine,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“We have a responsibility to dispose of that and store it.”