Carpenter stands tough on no uranium mining policy. 23/03/2007. ABC News Online

Carpenter stands tough on no uranium mining policy.


The Western Australian Premier Alan Carpenter says uranium could be the answer to the state's future energy needs, but says the ban on its mining will remain while he is in Government.
The WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy's chief executive Tim Shanahan supports a change of heart by Queensland to allow uranium mining.
"The change in position from Queensland hopefully will flow through to a more consistent and positive view of uranium mining throughout Australia," he said.
However Mr Carpenter says he will not be pressured and each state should be able to make its own decision on the issue.
"If the West Australian people don't want to have the mining of uranimum and the indication to me is that they don't then we won't be having the mining of uranium in this state."
However he says uranium could well be the source of the staste's future energy needs once coal and gas reserves are depleted.
The WA Labor Senator Chris Evans says the party should abandon the "no new mines" policy because it has not worked.
But he says he supports Alan Carpenter's decision to stand firm against uranium mining.
"The decision about uranium mining, quite frankly in terms of the WA economy is marginal and this is a decision for the State Government," he said.
"Alan Carpenter said he went to the election with a promise not to mine uranium in WA, he's honouring that commitment and I congratulate him for it."
WA is under more pressure to scrap its ban on uranium mining after the Queensland Premier had a change of heart on the issue.
Mr Carpenter says it would open the door for WA becoming a nuclear waste dump.
He says the state should reserve its uranium supplies for the future when its gas and coal reserves run out.
"Economically we don't need to be shovelling out uranium right now, but it may well be that in 20, 30, 40 years time or even 50 years time, we do need uranium as an energy source," he said.
He says problems related to nuclear waste could be resolved by that time.
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy supports Queensland's move.
It says WA is missing out on economic benefits of uranium mining.
Policy change
The Federal Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, believes the policy must change.
Labor frontbencher Stephen Conroy says he expects the party's national conference to scrap the Australian Labor Party's (ALP) long standing policy.
Senator Conroy says it is likely to be voted out at next month's national conference.
"The sense I get from the delegates that I talk to is that there'll be a majority in favour of the change," he said.
"I think both Kim Beazley and Kevin Rudd have come out in favour of it and I think there'll be a majority in favour of change.
"I'm weighing up my position at the moment and I'll be considering the arguments and I'm looking forward to the debate at the ALP National Conference."
Labor's environment spokesman Peter Garrett says he still opposes an expansion of uranium mining in Australia.
"Clearly the three mine policy has meant that we have existing mines in place," he said.
"They will continue.
"The question is whether or not we're going to see an expansion of uranium mining and I'm opposed to expanding uranium mining just as I'm opposed to nuclear energy and increasing nuclear activities in Australia."
NT response
The Northern Territory's Chief Minister has reaffirmed her support for changing Labor's "no new uranium mine" policy.
Clare Martin wants to change the policy in favour of every mine being judged on its merits.
However, she says using the uranium for a nuclear power industry in Australia is a different story.
"They are two very different issues, what the Labor party is dealing with at its national conference and what we're talking about today is whether we want to continue with the "no new mines" policy or whether we should be doing a case by case judgement against very strict guidelines," she said.
The Acting Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, says some of her concerns over uranium mining in the state have been allayed, but she still has some reservations.
Mr Beattie is overseas on a trade mission, but has released a report showing uranium mining would not threaten the state's massive coal exports.
He says that has persuaded him to overturn his opposition to uranium mining and instead support a scrapping of the "no new mines" policy at the ALP's National Conference next month.
Ms Bligh says she has long-held environmental and safety concerns.
"I think what you'll see from the conference and certainly I think there is a mood emerging that if there is any change to the policy, there needs to be a great deal of protection and caveats around that," she said.
"I don't think, even if there's a change, we're about to see any open slather activity.
"Do I think that it is likely that we will see some change to the policy? Increasingly, yes."
Meanwhile, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) is warning Labor will lose votes if it overturns its opposition to uranium mining.
The AMWU's Andrew Dettmer says he is very disappointed in the Queensland Premier.
"Uranium mining can't be sustained and supported for the simple fact it is not safe, it is not safe environmentally or many other ways," he said.
"The fact is the residue of uranium mining, which is nuclear waste, has a half-life of 37,000 years, well beyond the time of Mr Beattie's premiership."