Not all smooth sailing for BHP’s plan to expand Olympic Dam uranium mine
agreement is conditional on the Indenture Act passing through South Australia’s Parliament. And with the Greens and Opposition poring over the details, that progression is far from assured.The company has signed a preliminary agreement with the state’s Premier Mike Rann. BHP Billiton now has a year to reach a final investment decision. Mr Rann says today will go down in history.
But the Opposition says he has compromised important negotiations. Nance Haxton reports.
NANCE HAXTON: BHP Billiton has now committed $1.2 billion to building the first phase of the Olympic Dam expansion.
BHP Billiton CEO Marius Kloppers signed the indenture agreement with South Australian Premier Mike Rann, who flew to the Melbourne headquarters of the mining giant today to finalise the deal…..
NANCE HAXTON: But that agreement is conditional on the Indenture Act passing through South Australia’s Parliament. And with the Greens and Opposition poring over the details, that progression is far from assured….
NANCE HAXTON: The Indenture Agreement does have some significant changes. BHP Billiton is granted freehold over the expanded mining lease, but the Olympic Dam mine will be subject to the Environmental Protection Act, where it wasn’t previously.
The company will also now be levied for water extracted from the Great Artesian Basin; water it used to get for free.
Importantly, the agreement has a clause requiring BHP Billiton to get approval from its board within 12 months of Parliament passing the Indenture Act.
That approval or otherwise won’t be known until at least mid next year……
NANCE HAXTON: But South Australia’s Opposition leader Isobel Redmond says Mike Rann has been too hasty to secure his legacy, highlighted by him not taking Premier-in-waiting Jay Weatherill to today’s signing.
ISOBEL REDMOND: It is very embarrassing for Jay that as the Premier-in-waiting, he’s not even been invited along to participate in what’s probably the most important signing in the state’s history.
NANCE HAXTON: Ms Redmond says Mike Rann going to Melbourne for the final negotiations shows he had lost the upper hand.
ISOBEL REDMOND: I accept that their headquarters are in Melbourne but I don’t think that that should be any sort of estoppel to them coming over here for such an important signing…..
NANCE HAXTON: Do you think that there could be information in there that doesn’t look good for the desalination plant proposal?
ROWAN RAMSAY: Well I don’t really know. I mean I spent some time talking to some scientists but they weren’t going to let me know what was in their report quite rightly, it was at that stage being prepared for by the government. Now they’ve had it for five months and they’ve said they’ve used it to …. I wrote to the Premier and said look you should release this report before you make any binding decisions and he wrote back and basically said well that won’t be happening.
I think it should be in the public domain; it’s a report prepared by a publicly owned scientific organisation, surely we’re entitled to know what information the Government is basing its approval process.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: The federal member for Grey, Rowan Ramsay ending that report by Nance Haxton…
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1.This month.
Zoom webinar – “Nuclear Winter: The Environmental Consequences of a Nuclear Exchange.”
April 7th at 11:30 am PST / 2:30 pm EST
Nuclear Winter: The Environmental Consequences of a Nuclear Exchange”
Join us for an informative webinar with renowned atmospheric scientist, Professor Brian Toon, as he discusses the environmental risks and global impacts of a nuclear war. Despite the potential damage caused by the blast from even small nuclear weapons, many countries continue to invest in and expand nuclear arsenals. Professor Toon will provide a scientific assessment of civilian fatalities, agricultural failures, climate concerns, and complications with food supply that would follow any international nuclear conflict. We need to plan how to prevent nuclear conflict and avoid catastrophe. Politicians and military planners must be made aware of global climate and agricultural complications that would ensue. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from, and engage in, this vital conversation
The Road to War brings a sharp focus to why it is not in Australia’s best interest to be dragged into a war with China which will almost inevitably go nuclear very quickly. The filmmaker has interviewed some of Australia’s senior foreign policy analysts who have vast experience behind them in analysing what really is going on here as the United States rattles its sabres with China. And sets us up to be its proxy, like the poor Ukranians have been fed into the Meatgrinder. So America can remain the Top Dog. The Road to War reveals how the United States through its spy base at Pine Gap and by stationing six nuclear capable B52 bombers in the Top End (without permission from the traditional owners) is making Australia a prime nuclear target if the current war of words suddenly melts down into full scale war.
The Road to War shows the implicit connection between Carbon emissions (the US military uses a whopping 70% of America’s annual petroleum to move its armies and vast War Machine around the globe to its 800+ military bases..but under a loophole wangled at Kyoto, the US military does not have to report its C02 annual emissions). The Road to War starts screening at selected cities and regional centres in March. See the trailer end for details.
Antinuclear 
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