Antinuclear

Northern Territory Liberal Party all for French nuclear company against Aboriginal landowner

Mr Lee, a member of the Djok clan and senior custodian of the land known as Koongarra, could have become one of Australia’s richest men if he had decided to allow Areva to extract the estimated 14,000 tonnes of uranium from its 12.5 square kilometre mineral lease in the area.

NT Opposition supports French bid to mine uranium ABC News 21 June 11 The Northern Territory Opposition says it supports the commercial right of French nuclear energy company Areva to mine an area near Kakadu National Park. By Bridget Brennan and Jano Gibson, 21 June 11 

Areva had planned to establish a uranium mine in a small area called Koongarra, but traditional owner Jeffrey Lee has donated the area to the Commonwealth.

The Federal Government now wants to include Koongarra in world-heritage-listed Kakadu.

NT deputy Opposition leader Kezia Purick says when the park was established there was the knowledge that surrounding areas had the potential to be mined.

“Yes, we do support the company and what it has got there in that project area,” she said……

The Federal Government is pushing ahead with its campaign to expand the world heritage listing of Kakadu National Park to take in the Koongarra area, despite opposition from Areva.

Areva has urged the government to withdraw its nomination of Koongarra as a world-heritage-listed site but a government delegation has ignored that, and has travelled to Paris to lobby for the listing.

When Kakadu was declared a national park three decades ago, the relatively small Koongarra area in the middle of the park was excluded.

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke says there is one reason why it missed out at the time.

“There is uranium underneath the ground,” he said.

Last year, traditional owner Jeffrey Lee donated Koongarra to the Commonwealth and expressed his wish that it should be included in Kakadu.

June 22, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Northern Territory, politics