Antinuclear

Australian news, and some related international items

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

 

October 30, 2009 Posted by | politics, South Australia, uranium | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Protest against BHP as Alternative BHP Report released

BHPB-Olympic 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responsibility, the company operates the Olympic Dam mine in SA under an outdated Indenture Act which exempts the mine from key environmental and Aboriginal heritage laws.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

October 29, 2009 Posted by | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics, uranium | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

October 29, 2009 Posted by | 1, aboriginal issues, uranium, Western Australia | , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

October 29, 2009 Posted by | 1, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics international, uranium | , , , , | Leave a comment

Uranium miners can just walk away from cleanup

uranium-enrichmentOil 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

October 28, 2009 Posted by | 1, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, safety, uranium | , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

October 28, 2009 Posted by | 1, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics, uranium | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Review: a good week for skulduggery and secrecy

a-cat-CAN

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

October 27, 2009 Posted by | Christina reviews | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How ANSTO “fixed” nuclear opinion poll

civil-liberty-2smThis is how ANSTO’s  poll was on Saturday 24/10/09

ANSTO-241009

This is how ANSTO changed it by Monday 26/10/09

ANSTO-261009-1Nifty. hey?

October 27, 2009 Posted by | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, secrets and lies | , , , | Leave a comment

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

October 27, 2009 Posted by | 1, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, secrets and lies | , , , | Leave a comment

Australian initiative to reduce medical radiation risks

Rethink on medical imaging radiation to cut risks AUSTRALIAN IT Jennifer Foreshew | October 27, 2009 Continue reading

October 27, 2009 Posted by | 1, health, Western Australia | , , | Leave a comment

ANSTO quickly backtracks on crooked opinion poll

secret-agentAfter this morning (26/10/09)changing the wording on its nuclear opinion poll, so that it changed results from “Against nuclear” to “in favour” of nuclear, viewer reactions caused ANSTO to rethink this blatantly dishonest (and rather stupid) strategy Continue reading

October 26, 2009 Posted by | 1, climate change - global warming, New South Wales, spinbuster, uranium | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ANSTO’s crooked nuclear opinion poll

secret-agentANSTO (Australian Nuclear and Technology Organisation) has been running on their website, an opinion poll on nuclear power. By Saturday Oct 24, results showed an overwhelming majority opposed to nuclear power. Continue reading

October 25, 2009 Posted by | 1, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, secrets and lies | , , , | Leave a comment

Australian uranium miner Paladin’s Malawi uranium not monitored

Malawi: Govt. ignorant of exported Uranium tonnage | Business News – TheZimbabwean.co.uk by Nyasa Times Sunday, 25 October 2009 Government is yet to know about the quantity of Uranium exported by Australia-based Paladin Africa last month. Continue reading

October 25, 2009 Posted by | 1, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics international, uranium | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Australian govt not upfront about new “temporary” nuke waste dump

wastesAlarm over radioactive waste plan KIM WHEATLEY

Adelaide Now October 23, 2009

ABOUT 80 drums of radioactive waste has been earmarked to be shifted 450km from Edinburgh RAAF base to a new waste dump at Woomera. Continue reading

October 23, 2009 Posted by | 1, South Australia, uranium | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Australia’s hypocrisy over nuclear disarmament

The Forgotten Nightmare: Global Cooling

By Robin Davis

21 October, 2009
Countercurrents.org

Here in Australia, advocates of uranium mining and export claim that this gives us a more credible voice in the world arena than we would otherwise have. They say our position as the largest source of uranium and the second largest exporter after Canada makes us more effective in preventing nuclear proliferation than we would otherwise be. In other words, by selling the stuff from which nuclear weapons are made, we are helping to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Continue reading

October 22, 2009 Posted by | 1, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, weapons and war | , , , | Leave a comment