Labor violated nuclear waste promise
(Australian) Labor violated nuclear waste promise
ABC News Alice Springs 4 August 09
The Greens have accused the Federal Government of a huge violation of its commitment to repeal legislation forcing a nuclear waste facility on the Northern Territory.Labor made an election promise in 2007 to repeal the Radioactive Waste Management Act and maintains it will happen before next year’s federal election.Greens’ nuclear spokesman Senator Scott Ludlam is in Alice Springs this week discussing nuclear issues with concerned residents.He says the legislation needs to be repealed to take the pressure off people living near the four proposed nuclear waste sites.
“We had a Senate inquiry which I initiated, which came out here and recommended very strongly to the Government that the legislation be repealed in the first half of this year,” he said.”That clearly has not happened.”The [Government] said we will announce a site and then consult, which is in clear breach of the promise that the ALP took to the election.”
ABC Alice Springs – Labor violated nuclear waste promise: Greens
Australia’s poor record as a uranium mining nation
What is our record as a nation of Uranium miners?
ARCHIES ARCHIVE 24 July 09
Ranger:• despite being expected to operate under a “no-release” water management system, incidents involving misplaced low grade ores or failures in water control bunds have led on numerous occasions to contaminated runoff waters being leaked into adjacent creeks (especially Corridoor Creek, a tributary of Magela Creek).• in early 2004 incorrect plumbing saw the process water circuit being connected to the potable drinking water circuit – leading to rapid and significant toxic process water being mixed with drinking water, and much of the Ranger workforce being potentially exposed to both acute chemical and radiological exposure.Olympic Dam:• after operating for nearly a decade, a major ongoing leak from the tailings dam was revealed, amounting to the loss of billions of litres of tailings water to groundwater.• in March 1999, and again October 2001, major explosions and fires caused substantive damage to the mill and smelter complexes, including major releases of noxious fumes – though the extent of radiological releases remains highly contentious, the fact that the uranium solvent extraction circuit in the 2001 incident was on fire raises serious concerns about how these incidents are handled by current regulators.
Beverley:
• numerous spills and leaks from pipelines have occurred………………Can uranium mines be satisfactorily rehabilitated?
The experience of rehabilitating uranium mines to date in Australia is questionable. The first generation of uranium mines from the Cold War, namely Rum Jungle, Radium Hill, Mary Kathleen and the South Alligator group of mines, all still present environmental and radiological management problems and require constant vigilence and maintenance.
Examples include: – Rum Jungle –….mine drainage continues to pollute the Finniss River…… Radium Hill…………tailings requires ongoing maintenance…..Mary Kathleen………… ongoing seepage of saline, metal and radionuclide rich waters from the tailings dam
From a briefing paper by Gavin M. Mudd for <a
Uranium Mining and a National Park #2 « Ærchies Archive – The Curmudgeon’s Magazine
Australia’s top nuclear business closes down – “a waste of time”
Top trio turn off N-switch
(for more Australian news go to nuclear news Australia )
Herald Sun Cameron England
July 23, 2009 12:00am
THREE of Australia’s best-known businessmen have abandoned plans to build the country’s first nuclear power plant in the face of Federal Government opposition to the controversial energy source.
Fairfax Media chairman and former Liberal Party treasurer Ron Walker has applied to deregister Australian Nuclear Energy — the company he set up with mining identities Robert Champion de Crespigny and Hugh Morgan — three years after its creation.
Mr Walker said yesterday a lack of government support had scuttled their ambitions. “Government was very clear that they would not allow nuclear energy in Australia,” he said.
“We decided that it was just a waste of our time…………
…………Mr Walker applied to shut down ANE, which investigated the possibility of building a nuclear plant in either Victoria or South Australia, on May 2
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25821675-664,00.html
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
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