Danger in plan to hand over environmental regulation from Australian government to the States
Conservationist says uranium mine spill shows states must not be given approval powers http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-09/conservationist-says-states-set-to-water-down-mine-approvals/5145080 The World Today By Katie Hamann 9 Dec 2013, The Australian Conservation Foundation says it is time the Ranger uranium mine was closed permanently after yet another spill in Kakadu National Park, east of Darwin.
More than a million litres of toxic slurry engulfed the mine on Saturday.
The spill coincides with a move by the Federal Government to allow states and territories to assess all mining applications, as part of its overhaul of environmental approvals.
Earlier this year, the Federal Government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Queensland Government aimed at giving the state the power to be a one-stop shop for environmental approvals……….
States to be ‘treated like adults’ in approval process
Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Environment Minister, Senator Simon Birmingham, says the Government will not be reconsidering its plans to devolve decision-making to states and territories in light of the Ranger incident.
“We have confidence that if you treat the states like adults, they will behave like adults,” he said…….
Questions have repeatedly been raised about state and federal oversight of the Ranger mine.
In 2003, a Senate committee inquiry concluded that its regulation was flawed, confusing and inadequate.
Mr Sweeney says prior to the election Environment Minister Greg Hunt suggested that uranium mine assessments would remain within the remit of the Federal Government.
“The existing regulatory regime is failing,” he said.
“There can be no justification at all in that context to further weaken it by handing over controls to states and territories that are clearly lacking the capacity, the capability and the will to do the job responsibly and to the level that Australians expect.
“Minister Hunt, the Environment Minister, before the election, made a clear expression that the Coalition would retain Commonwealth control of uranium mining.”
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