Victorian ALP Conference motion to reaffirm Labor’s anti nuclear policy
The ALP Victoria Conference, noting that the Liberal Party in Victoria under Ted Baillieu and federally under Tony Abbott has continued to push for a domestic nuclear power industry in Australia.
And further, that
1. Nuclear energy is dangerous, dirty, expensive and slow;
2. As an energy source nuclear energy offers less power than renewables do, and in fact is a non-renewable resource; and
3. Nuclear energy programs are linked to nuclear weapons programs, and nuclear power plants are significant and serious potential targets for terrorists.
This Conference resolves to
1. Uphold and reaffirm Victorian Labor’s longstanding and principled opposition to nuclear energy and the construction of nuclear power stations; and
2. Oppose any construction of a nuclear power station in Victoria;
3. Raise awareness in the community of any Liberal Party attempts to introduce nuclear energy into Victoria by stealth.
Moved: Ali Vaughan (Melbourne FEA)
Seconded: Alex White (LHMU/ United Voice)
Lynas Corporation deceptive about is plans for radioactive waste in Malaysia
Leaving behind a toxic legacy for decades’ G Vinod|Free Malaysia Today May 19, 2011
Australian environment groups believe that the Lynas Corporation is hiding the facts from the public.
PETALING JAYA: Two Australian environmental groups believe that the Lynas rare earth mine in Kuantan would leave a toxic legacy for decades. The environmental groups – Friends of the Earth Australia and the Conservation Council of Western Australia – said that by not revealing the data before embarking on the project in Kuantan, company has something to hide.
The groups in a joint statement said they want the Kuantan project stopped until the company reveals its environmental assessment data of the site.
In its criticism against Lynas Corporation Limited, Friends of the Earth Australia spokesperson Natalie Lowrey said it was improper for Lynas to withhold details on how it plans to manage its radioactive components from public scrutiny.
“By not revealing the data before embarking on the project in Kuantan, it indicates they have something to hide. We believe the project would leave a toxic legacy for decades,” said Lowrey.
Conservation Council of Western Australia spokesperson Mia Pepper said Australians were also concerned as Lynas plans to ship its thorium to Malaysia via the Fremantle port in Western Australia.
“And the thorium will be transported through hessian bags, the same method used by Magellan to transport lead which caused lead contamination outside its shipping containers,” said Pepper……… Yesterday, Western Australia MP Lynn MacLaren had called on the State Transport Minister, Troy Buswell, to stop the shipment of Lynas’ Thorium deposits to Malaysia….. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/05/19/leaving-behind-a-toxic-legacy-for-decades/
South Australia headed for higher greenhouse footprint with Olympic Dam expansion
BHP Billiton’s failure to reconsider their planned mega-expansion of Olympic Dam will be a disaster for the environment and local jobs, the Australian Greens said today. from Tony serve Blogs (Unfortunately I lost the link, and the rest of this article – with its greater detail)
Against a backdrop of a likely full-scale meltdown at TEPCO’s Fukushima plant in Japan, of which BHP Billiton is a likely uranium supplier, BHP Billiton has today released its supplementary Environmental Impact Statement on the expansion of the Roxby Downs copper/uranium mine.
“As it stands, BHP Billiton has designed a world’s-worst-practice uranium mine, when the alternative would see a lower greenhouse footprint and skilled jobs retained in South Australia,” Australian Greens spokesperson for nuclear issues Senator Scott Ludlam said…..
Inuit resistance to uranium mining – a “wasteland of tailings”
before the first pounds of yellowcake are harvested from the tundra, a fearful word has entered the debate: Fukushima…
… In an interview, Ms. Inutiq warned that allowing uranium development will transform parts of Nunavut into “a wasteland of tailings.”……And, she added, Fukushima has raised the stakes, as Inuit contemplate the ethical implications of allowing uranium from their territory to be exported around the world –
Fukushima chills uranium development, NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE, CALGARY— Globe and Mail , May. 19, 2011 It looked to be a nuclear renaissance set on Canada’s sub-Arctic plains.
Over the past few years, a series of companies secured rights to remote stretches of Inuit land that hide rich troves of uranium. One project alone, the five mines that make up the Kiggavik proposal from French nuclear giant Areva, stands poised to increase Canada’s uranium output by 35 per cent. Continue reading
Malaysian Protest Against Australian Company Lynas Dumping Radioactive Waste There
.……..lower environmental standards in Malaysia and double standards from Lynas.
SALLEH: I’m very concerned that Lynas is taking advantage of the loopholes in our laws, and does not implement, what it’s supposed to implement in Australia, but use a different standard here in Malaysia…..the authorities have issued a licence to Ashton rare earth, [in Australia] prior to Lynas acquiring it. And I had a copy of that approval and then, I saw, how stringent they are……
SINGH: If it’s reasonably that good, why don’t they do the processing within Australia, why send it to Malaysia? it is a classic example of a polluting industry being exported to a developing country………
Demonstrators are planning to rally outside the Australian Embassy in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpor on Friday. May 19, 2011, Radio Australia may 18 2011
They’ll be protesting against the Australian mining company Lynas and its plans to process rare earths in Pahang state. Local communities and environmental groups have raised concerns over the management of radioactive waste. They say the waste product thorium will affect fishing, tourism and public health .. while the Malaysian government has also asked for more information. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 