South Australia’s museum rejects uranium mining in wilderness areas
The museum says the biodiversity evaluation in Seeking a Balance is “greatly flawed”.
South Australian mining plan would potentially kill off species Adelaide Now, Cameron England,
March 15, 2010 A STATE Government plan which would allow mining in sensitive parts of the Northern Flinders Ranges is “greatly flawed” and should be “rejected totally”, the SA Museum says. Continue reading
Senate inquiry in to waste dump will not even go to the area
holding it from Darwin and from Canberra is a good way of staying a long way away from where the people are genuinely the most angry and have the most to lose
Senators urged to visit planned waste dump site – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 15 March 2010, The Greens say a Senate inquiry into the Federal Government’s proposed radioactive waste management legislation will not visit the site of the proposed dump.The only location the Government is now considering is Muckaty Station, near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. Continue reading
Exploitation of impoverished Niger, by foreign uranium miners, including Australia
Uranium Major Niger Urged to Review Contracts, ABC News, NIAMEY (Reuters) 14 March 2010, – The new junta ruling in Niger, one of the world’s biggest uranium producers, should review and possibly renegotiate dozens of resource exploitation contracts, civil rights groups said on Saturday. Continue reading
Muckaty nuke waste site – earthquake risk, missing documents
one key document, an anthropological report, is missing.
Earthquake fears over nuclear dump site, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Jane Bardon and Emma Masters, Mar 12, 2010 Reports into the suitability of the site chosen by the Federal Government for a nuclear waste dump say more scientific investigation is needed into the threat of earthquakes around the Tennant Creek region. Continue reading
Nuclear spin intensifies in lead-up to Obama’s Australian visit
the PR teams of the nuclear industry have been hard at work trying to make the idea of a nuclear future more palatable. The same sorts of spin doctors that once sang the praises of asbestos and denied any link between smoking and cancer
En Passant » Nuclear power is no environmental alternative, by Andrew Cheeseman, Socialist Alternative online, 09 March 2010
Once more, the Rudd government is talking up a nuclear future. There are plans for a new nuclear waste dump and it’s quite likely that this month’s meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Australian parliament will see further discussions of so-called “uranium leasing”. [ The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership] Continue reading
Martin Ferguson’s hypocrisy about medical radiation
Here’s another example of Martin Ferguson’s duplicity. He’s promoting the planned radioactive waste dump on aboriginal land, as necessary for Australians because it’s for medical waste.
BUT: 1. There’s no scientific reason why the nuke waste dump has to be in the Northern Territory, let alone on aboriginal land.
2. The dump will also take highly radioactive spent fuel rods – conveniently opening the door for a future intake of high level nuclear waste from – well, perhaps the USA, as Howard and Bush had intended.
Coalition Joins Labor in PLan to Impose Nuclear Waste Dump on the Northern Territory
“Fourteen years worth of research that was conducted that identified 15 sites around Australia, none of which were in the Northern Territory.
Coalition to support nuclear waste dump, ABC News 9 March 2010, The Federal Opposition has confirmed it will support the Government’s plan for a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory. oday, the Opposition’s resources spokesman, Nick Minchin, said the Government’s bill reflects long-standing Coalition policy. Continue reading
Women walking to Canberra to oppose NT nuclear waste dump
“We will also be talking to people about the deadly effects of the nuclear cycle and draw attention to people that Australia is contributing to the nuclear cycle by digging up uranium and how the government is planning to open a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory.”
Cassie joins peace walk, Ipswich Queensland Times. 9th March 2010 On Saturday Ms McMahon will join a 1400km walk from Brisbane to Canberra to encourage a peaceful and sustainable future as part of the Women’s International Peace Walk. Continue reading
Foreign uranium companies, including Australian, endanger Niger’s water
water in the region had 10 times the level of radioactivity considered safe.
Niger’s uranium coup, boilingspot: 7 March 2010 On February 18, Niger’s President Mamadou Tandja was overthrown in a military coup. A military junta calling itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy, headed by Major Salou Djibo, took power Tony Iltis | Green Left Online | 6 March 2010 “……the junta is unlikely to confront the causes of Niger’s extreme poverty: Western-imposed neoliberal austerity and the environmentally and socially destructive plunder of natural resources, particularly uranium……. Continue reading
“Robust” a wobbly word for discussing nuclear industry?
The forthcoming visit of President Obama is indeed very low key in the Australian media. Amongst the issues to dicuss, we learn that the talk will be “robust”
“Robust” – another one of those Wobbly Words – that serve to obscure meaning – e.g meaning about possible plans for the US to Lease uranium from Australia, thus returning nuclear wastes to ….where?- well, of course – aboriginal land in the Northern Territory
Govt will give aborigines housing, education – in exchange for hosting radioactive waste!
Aborigines being exploited over nuclear waste dump, says Scott Ludlam, Herald Sun By Larine Statham From: AAP, March 04, ABORIGINES should not be forced to trade their country for housing and education, Greens Senator Scott Ludlam says.
Deliberate deception about “need” for nuclear waste on aboriginal land
In the item below, we learn that medical radioactive waste is negligible as a long term storage program, compared to nuclear reactor spent fuel waste. The radiologist kindly suggests that Martin Ferguson, (Australia’s Minister For Promoting the Nuclear Industry) is “confused”.
It sounds to me more as if Ferguson is determined to impose nuclear waste dumping on Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory – as part of the campaign to open up Australia to international nuclear waste dumping.
Martin Ferguson’s confused claims about medical radioactive waste
Waste is not from nuclear medicine , ABC Radio Darwin, 5 March 2010, By Liz Trevaskis
“…….Nuclear radiologist Peter Karamoskos spoke to Leon Compton on the Morning program. He explained that the majority of nuclear medicine procedures do not produce waste that requires long term storage.
He says that “I think the Minister is probably a little bit confused about what he refers to as nuclear medicine…. nearly all nuclear medicine involves short acting radio isotopes which usually decay on site, and then are disposed of into the normal environment.”
“The amount of waste is commensurately small when compared to the vast bulk of the waste which will be stored at the repository, which is the nuclear fuel waste.” http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/03/04/2836622.htm?site=darwin
Ferguson peddling lies about nuclear medicine
Martin Ferguson is now pushing the idea that there must be a nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory if Australians want to have nuclear medicine
What utter nonsense! Sure – the nuclear wastes that originated at Lucas Heights in Sydney, and the medical radioactive wastes that exist in hospitals around the country – have to go somewhere. And that could be anywhere – e.g on Commonwealth land in South Australia, or perhaps on site at Lucas Heights.
One day, Australia and the rest of the world, will have to face up to the growing problem of medical radioactive waste. But to say that aboriginal land in the Northern Territory is the only solution, – that is just a straight-out lie.
Martin Ferguson secretive about nuclear waste dump plan
Ferguson tight-lipped on nuclear dump talks, By Melinda James, ABC News, Mar 3, 2010
The federal Resources Minister will not reveal if he is meeting with any of the traditional owners of Muckaty Station, which has been slated as the site for a national nuclear waste dump. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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