Nuclear company AREVA tries to stop Koongarra’s Heritage Listing
federal Labor made an election promise last year to incorporate Koongarra into Kakadu, removing the possibility of future uranium mining there. Areva formally requested Australia to withdraw its nomination for heritage listing from the agenda of the 35th World Heritage Committee meeting, which will be held in Paris this week
French uranium challenge to Kakadu heritage listing, Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin, The Age, June 20, 2011
A FRENCH government-owned company attempted to block countries discussing an Australian request to expand the World heritage-listed Kakadu National Park to include land that contains uranium worth billions of dollars.
Paris-based Areva, the world’s largest nuclear energy company, wants to extract 14,000 tonnes of uranium from its mineral lease in the Koongarra area, which is surrounded by the park. But federal Labor made an election promise last year to incorporate Koongarra into Kakadu, removing the possibility of future uranium mining there. Areva formally requested Australia to withdraw its nomination for heritage listing from the agenda of the 35th World Heritage Committee meeting, which will be held in Paris this week, The Age has learnt…….. A high level World Heritage Committee delegation to Australia in 1998 recommended Koongarra be listed as “in danger” because of threats posed by uranium mining operations. Areva Australia’s website says the company owns the Koongarra uranium deposit, which was discovered in 1971, but there is currently a moratorium on mining it. ■
Mr Burke has put off until August a decision on whether to make a large part of Kimberley in Western Australia a national heritage-listed area. He said he needed more time to consult and study the values of the recommended area and sites. Under heritage listing the federal government would have to approve environmentally and culturally sensitive development projects….French uranium challenge to Kakadu heritage listing
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of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 
Yeah, well done Tony Burke,
just more lies and bullship to support your crappy regime of rape, plunder, pillage eh? Forgetting about the people who put you in office …. your constituents … remember them ?..
The ones you promised to make Koongarra a Heritage listed area, the ones who voted FOR you LAST TIME and it may well pay you to remember that it will be your LAST TIME, unless you live up to your promises,
Or are you just another money hungry puppet of the dollar?
James Mason
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Glad to note,James Mason,that you picked upon the fact that Tony Burke has put off his decision on Koongarra as a heritage listing.
So Tony’s going to “consult and study”. I wonder who with? AREVA? or Australia’s Minister for Nuclear Energy,Martin Ferguson?
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