Company's nuclear plans 'shock' Garrett
The Federal Opposition says the Government should rule out uranium enrichment facilities for Australia.
The ABC's investigative unit has uncovered a private company's plan to present a development proposal for an enrichment plant to the Government.
Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane says he has not been approached, but would not rule out discussing such a proposal.
Labor's environment spokesman Peter Garrett told ABC Radio's AM program that any talks between the Government and the company should be made public.
"This is genuinely shocking and alarming news," he said.
"[It] raises such a high number of very serious questions about what the Howard Government's plans are for the nuclear industry in Australia."
Two sites have been mooted as possible locations for the facility - one at Caboolture north of Brisbane in Queensland and the other at Port Pirie north of Adelaide in South Australia.
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says building a plant in a fast-growing region like Caboolture is a dangerous and crazy idea.
"Queenslanders would vote overwhelmingly against it," he said.
"I just send a clear message to John Howard, the Prime Minister, because they are supporting the uranium industry, that if they go down this path there will be a vote of the people.
"The people will in my view overwhelmingly oppose it and we will oppose it every step of the way."
Caboolture Shire Mayor Joy Leishman says it sounds so ridiculous she is not concerned.
"Caboolture shire today has some 140,000 people living here," she said.
"We fit into the region as the faster growing area in the nation.
"I think it is just a ridiculous situation that anyone would suggest you would have a nuclear enrichment plant in such a highly populated [area] and an area that has great beauty."
Councillor Leishman says it would not matter what federal and state governments decided, every resident in south-east Queensland would block the proposal.
"So I am sorry - it is not up to a couple of politicians wherever they may be, it really is up to the mass of people who live here and I have no doubt that they would absolutely oppose this with every breath in their bodies," she said.
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Friday, June 15, 2007
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