Uranium export safeguards insufficient: Garrett. 08/04/2006. ABC News Online

Federal Labor MP Peter Garrett says insufficient safeguards are in place to ensure China uses uranium imported from Australia for peaceful purposes.

Australia and China have signed a nuclear safeguards agreement, clearing the way for the Australian uranium industry to export to the Asian nation.

Mr Garrett says Labor has welcomed the move, but only on the condition that China meets all international safeguard requirements.

"The government maintains that those conditions have been met," he said.

"On the surface of it, I don't believe that they have, and I think that it raises serious questions about not the fact of export, but more the conditions of export that the Howard Government has bought into and the guarantees that it's given us."

Mr Garrett says he welcomes debate within his party over Australia's three mines uranium policy.

The Opposition's resources spokesman, Martin Ferguson, and other party members have suggested that Labor should end its support for the policy, which limits the number of uranium mines in Australia.

But Mr Garrett, a former anti-nuclear activist, says he does not support any change.

"Kim Beazley has said much the same thing, and so have other senior Labor figures, but debating these issues is a healthy part of democracy in any political party," he said.

"The policy is in place up until such time as the party decides to debate it and discuss it."