Antinuclear

Water, health and Fukushima concerns on agenda at BHP Billiton AGM protest

 Members of Uranium Free NSW and the Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA) will join a community protest outside BHP Billiton’s AGM today 10am at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre.

National and International environment groups are launching an alternative annual report for BHPB titled ‘Dirty Deeds’ which will be distributed to shareholders.

Peter Watts, an Arabana man who is co-chair of the Australian Nuclear Free Alliance has travelled from Adelaide to attend the AGM.

Mr Watts said, “Nowadays there is heightened awareness of the dangers of asbestos. People need to realise that devastating health effects are also occurring from the nuclear industry. We suffer intergenerational disruptions to family health, well-being and finances due to medical conditions and treatments related to the nuclear bomb tests. BHP and other mining companies do not take responsibility for the health of workers who leave their company, yet they have heightened risk of developing cancer from working in a uranium mine and being exposed to radioactive materials.”

“The health of our environment must also be considered. Uranium mining is a very thirsty industry and the amount of water used for current mining operations at Olympic Dam is unsustainable. We don’t want them to take water from the mound springs area and we don’t want them to building a desalination plant either. When is BHP going to start paying for the water they are currently using? It is a precious commodity and this massive company needs to use some of their massive profit to pay for water use like regular Australian people do”.

Natalie Wasley, ANFA Committee member and coordinator of the Beyond Nuclear Initiative said “The track record of the Australian uranium industry is a litany of leaks, spills, breaches and accidents. A detailed Senate examination in 2003 found that the industry was failing to comply with its environmental obligations and called for urgent changes.”

“BHP Billiton is a prime example of the culture of secrecy the Senate inquiry described- it is operating as a state within a state due to extraordinary legislation, the Roxby Downs Indenture Act. Shareholders should be questioning why BHP Billiton talks about corporate social responsibility yet operates under laws that curtail application of the Freedom of Information Act and promote wide-ranging exemptions from environmental, water management and Aboriginal Heritage laws.”

“The economics of the uranium industry have clearly tanked as BHP’s abandonment of the Olympic Dam mega-expansion and its sale of the Yeelirrie deposit demonstrate. Uranium accounts for 0.21% of Australian export revenue and less than 0.02% of jobs in Australia – and both figures have fallen considerably in recent years despite all the hype about a nuclear ‘renaissance’, Ms Wasley added.

Sakyo Noda a Japanese activist from the Uranium Free NSW community group said “Australian uranium was present in the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. We are seeing ongoing tragedy in the Fukushima community and the radiation health risk and effect on children has not yet been fully revealed. There are still many people are separated from their homes, families and communities.

Fukushima should be taken as a wake up call – we need to phase out nuclear power. However, companies like BHP Billiton ignore the human cost of nuclear disasters and continue to pursue an expansion of its uranium business. Australian uranium could fuel another Fukushima. To stop this occurring we are here to demand BHP keep the uranium in the ground, ” Mr Noda concluded.

November 28, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News