A reminder of uranium mining’s connection with nuclear weapons
Secretive Arms Tycoon Behind New Uranium Mine | The Media Freedom Foundation, 9 March 2010, James
Neal Blue, who helped devise the Predator unmanned aircraft that are in use in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, is the director of a company that bought the Four Mile uranium mine in Australia. Blue is the chairman of Quasar Resources, which is affiliated with General Atomics, a major United States weapons and nuclear energy corporation. Continue reading
Australia’s shame – the treatment of atomic test veterans
They were given little protection against the radiation and were simply told to turn their backs on the explosions
Treatment of atom bomb veterans a ‘national disgrace’, Sydney Morning Herald JENNIE CURTIN, February 28, 2010 ONE of Australia’s most respected military figures has joined veterans’ groups in calling for war benefits to be paid to Australian servicemen who were exposed to British atom bomb tests in the 1950s. 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
Muckaty nuclear waste dump plan threatens groundwater
Muckaty station sits above an ancient aquifer which is used by both the aborigines for drinking water and white station owners to water their cattle. It also experiences large intermittent rainfalls during the year.
A heresy is occurring in Australia, anthropologyworks by Helen Caldicott, 8 March 2010, “….the current abuse and desecration of several aboriginal tribes inhabiting their land in the Northern Territory. This land called Muckaty station is conveniently located adjacent to the railway line, constructed recently by Dick Cheney’s former company Halliburton, which bisects Australia connecting Darwin, a port in the north, to Adelaide a port in the south. Continue reading
Who pays for nuclear power’s “Front End” and “Back end” ?
Who pays for the hidden costs of nuclear power? Why don’t we talk about the short and long-term costs of the “Front End” – the uranium industry, and of the” Back End” – finished nuclear reactors, and nuclear wastes. (Doncha love that euphemism “Decommissioning” of the dead nuclear reactors? )
“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
Australia’s energy resources to prosper, except for uranium
export earnings will be driven by 19.8% increase in energy commodities (oil and coal, but not including uranium).
ABARE explains how much Australia can make from selling silver, iron ore and coal The Daily Reckoning Australia, By Dan Denning • March 3rd, 2010 “…Yesterday’s news came from the world’s most akwardly named bureaucracy, the Australian Bureau of Agricultrual and Resource Economics, henceforth to be called ABARE. The group published its quarterly commodity outlook. It tells you how much Australia can expect to make from selling the family: silver, iron ore, and coal. Its conclusions were kind of surprising. The main conclusion was that Australia would see rising export earnings on higher volumes but moderating commodity prices. …ABARE says that in the next 12 months, export earnings will be driven by 19.8% increase in energy commodities (oil and coal, but not including uranium)….http://www.dailyreckoning.com.au/abare-explains-how-much-australia-can-make-from-selling-silver-iron-ore-and-coal/2010/03/03/
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
Northern Territory govt against Martion Ferguson’s nuclear waste dump
“There was extensive research done between 1992 and 2004 to identify any number of sites around Australia, none of which were in the Northern Territory.”
Traditional owners ‘united’ behind nuclear dump, By Alison Middleton ABC News Mar 3, “… Continue reading
Australian soldiers used as guinea pigs in Maralinga nuclear tests
The veterans say they were used as guinea pigs to gauge the impact of radiation on humans.
Maralinga blast survivors sue | The Courier-Mail,Ian McPhedran, March 03, 2010, About 200 former military personnel who worked at or near the test sites and up to 100 Aboriginal residents of blast-affected land will join 800 British ex-servicemen suing for damages. Continue reading
Lax security at BHP’s Yeelirrie uranium tailings dump
Children accessing old uranium site ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)Mar 3, 2010 BHP Billiton says it will step up security at an old uranium testing site in Kalgoorlie after concerns children are accessing the area.Labor’s candidate for the federal seat of O’Connor, Ian Bishop, says damage to a security gate has allowed children to enter the site at Hannan’s north on dirt bikes. More than 5,000 tonnes of tailings from the Yeelirrie uranium deposit, near Wiluna, were buried in the area after BHP stopped testing ore-processing there in the 1980s.
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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