Australia obliged to dump nuke-waste, on aboriginal land?
Nuclear waste dump a must Adelaide Now MARK KENNY
October 31, 2009
THE search for a suitable site for a high-level nuclear waste dump in Australia is back on because radioactive material currently stored overseas will be returned to Australia in five years, it has been revealed.
The material, described as “spent fuel” from the Lucas Heights research reactor, had been sent to France for re-processing.
Under French law it must be repatriated to Australia by 2015.
Responding to questions from Opposition frontbencher, Nick Minchin in Senate estimates hearings, the Government confirmed Australia is under an obligation to “have a facility built in time to receive that waste from France in 2015”.
“There is waste from France, from reprocessing of ANSTO research reactor spent fuel, that will return to Australia in 2015,” a departmental official told the Economic Committee.
The admission means the Government is faced with a tight time frame in which to identify the preferred site, conduct consultations with affected parties, meet environmental and other planning requirements, and build the super-secure facility.
According to evidence tendered, three sites, all in the Northern Territory, “two in the Alice Springs region and one in the Katherine region”, are being considered.
The Government also confirmed another site, described as being “a volunteer site on Aboriginal land near Tennant Creek”, was being assessed. A site in the Northern Territory now seems inevitable where constitutional limits on Commonwealth power do not apply.http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,26283381-5006301,00.html
Warning on China’s uranium mining in Australia
Chinese buy up NT uranium stake NICK CALACOURAS October 31st, 2009 The Commonwealth has signed off on a $140 million deal to allow a Territory company to provide uranium to Chinese nuclear power plants. Continue reading
Uranium miner squanders Australia’s precious water – for FREE!
South Australia: Olympic Dam mine BHP Billiton 30 Oct 09 Watch Western Mining Corporation first developed the Olympic Dam (Roxby Downs) Uranium Mine in 1983, despite strong and sustained opposition from Kokatha and Arabunna Traditional Owners and environmentalists. BHP Billiton purchased the underground Olympic Dam mine in 2005.
In May 2009 BHP Billiton released an Environmental Impact Statement detailing plans to turn Olympic Dam into a massive open pit mine. With this expansion uranium production is expected to increase from 4,000 tonnes to 19,000 tonnes per year and copper production from 200,000 to 750,000 tonnes a year. Continue reading
Australia’s blind eye to China’s abuse of anti-nuclear protesters
Australia is complicit in China’s uranium and human rights abuses Crikey.com Oct 2009 by James Norman
| :……………. Australia’s role in supplying China with uranium and the associated impacts of the nuclear industry, within China and in terms of Australia’s non-proliferation commitments. | |
The expanded Roxby Downs uranium and copper mine being proposed by BHP Continue reading
SA government not protecting sanctuary against uranium pollution
Arkaroola plan ‘not strong enough’ ABC News 28 Oct 09 A Greens’ legislative councillor says a South Australian Government plan to manage mining and conservation in the Northern Flinders fails to protect the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary.
The plan is a response to the discovery of illegally dumped exploration waste at Arkaroola but Mark Parnell says the response is not strong enough.
“The Government should have just made the announcement that they were not going to allow future exploration or mining anywhere in the wilderness sanctuary,” he said.
“Instead, they have produced a map for discussion that shows most of the wilderness sanctuary still available for mining and only one tiny area close to Mount Painter which is designated as off limits.”…………… The State Government draft framework is currently open for public comment. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/28/2726287.htm
Protest against BHP as Alternative BHP Report released
In Melbourne today, protesters gather outside BHP Billiton’s head
office in Melbourne, highlighting the impacts of BHP’s plan to make
Olympic Dam the biggest uranium mine in the world.
Friends of the Earth’s national nuclear campaigner Dr Jim Green said:
“For all of BHP Billiton’s hollow rhetoric about corporate social
responsibility, the company operates the Olympic Dam mine in SA under an outdated Indenture Act which exempts the mine from key environmental and Aboriginal heritage laws.
“BHP Billiton has provided over $2 million to Reconciliation Australia.
Yet the company will not relinquish its exemptions from the SA
Aboriginal Heritage Act. The company’s attitude appears to be ‘do as I
say not as I do’. It’s time for this hypocrisy to end.”
Duban Velez, a union delegate for workers at the Cerrejon coal mine in
Colombia, will be at today’s protest in Melbourne to tell his story
about BHP’s inadequate social and environmental standards in Colombia.
Mr Velez will also be attending BHP’s second AGM, in Brisbane on
November 26. Farming families in villages around the mine have been
deprived of their livelihoods as the mine expands and accuse BHP of
failing to negotiate in good faith or offer sufficient assistance or
compensation.
The Alternative Annual Report can be downloaded at:
http://tinyurl.com/yjjluqg
Now Western Australian aborigines join the fight against uranium mining
ANAWA 29 Oct 09 “…………………Statement from the Western Australian delegation to the 9th annual Australian Nuclear Free Alliance meeting Quorn (Nukunu Country), South Australia.“Uranium mining has not happened in WA but there is a lot of talk that it could. Continue reading
China gets 70% of Australian uranium miner
Guangdong Nuclear OKed to Acquire Australian Uranium Miner TRADING MARKETS.com October 28, 2009; GUANGZHOU, Oct 28, 2009 — China Uranium Development Co., under the wing of China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co., Ltd. (CGNPC), Continue reading
Uranium miners can just walk away from cleanup
Oil spill disaster continues – the toll rises
“…………………..the federal government has jettisoned its three mine uranium policy and is now considering a rush of exploration licence applications. In July, the Environment Minister gave the go ahead for Alliance Resources to move into production using the controversial acid corrosion Continue reading
World Indigenous Uranium Forum – next time in Australia
Southwest Indigenous Uranium Forum a Success Indybay by Anna Rondon Oct 27th, 2009 This past weekend Indigenous Peoples from Alaska, North America, Bolivia and Japan converged near Acoma Pueblo for the 7th Southwest Indigenous Uranium Forum in Sky City, New Mexico. Continue reading
Uranium miners – the phoniest of corporations
During the next decade the world must reduce emissions as fast as possible, in order to avoid climate change “tipping points”. Australia is the world’s worst per-capita emitter of greenhouse gases. Our coal-fired power stations emit almost 50 percent of our emissions, so it is crucial that we minimise their emissions as fast as possible. Continue reading
Gas needs fair govt policy, on the way to renewables
We must give natural gas a fair go to meet our clean energy targets THE AUSTRALIAN Cheryl Cartwright October 28, 2009 COAL or gas? Which is kinder to the environment? Which will be part of the solution to reducing carbon emissions? Continue reading
Review: a good week for skulduggery and secrecy
Review: Australia; it was a good week for skulduggery and secrecy, even not counting ANSTO’s opinion poll debacle
Defence Dept keeping quiet about planned “termporary” nuke waste dump at Woomera. Martin Ferguson’s secret deal with some NT aborigines over NT nuke waste dumping. BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam disrupted for months, keeping quiet over probable job losses. Greens asking awkward questions about radioactive spill at Lucas Heights. ERA keeping quiet about radioactive leaking at Ranger uranium mine.
Internationally: Obama being ambiguous about nuclear, as nuke lobbying continues over U.S.A’s Climate Bill. Chilean veterans suing govt over radiation harm. Iran being flighty over nuke deal offered to them. AREVA’s “flagship” nuclear reactors limp on expensively. IAEA trying to solve Chernobyl’s still radioactive cooling pond. Sellafield cleanup costing billions with no end in sight. – review of the week that was
How ANSTO “fixed” nuclear opinion poll
This is how ANSTO’s poll was on Saturday 24/10/09
This is how ANSTO changed it by Monday 26/10/09
Nifty. hey?
ANSTO caught turning nuclear poll “NO” into “YES”
ANSTO turn nuclear poll “NO” into “YES Scott Ludlam 26th October 2009, The Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has been caught out blatantly lying over the results of its own survey which showed overwhelming rejection of nuclear power by Australians. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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