WA grants uranium exploration leases

Farida Iqbal, Perth

The Western Australian Labor government is granting exploration leases for mining tenements holding uranium.

The government claims that the leases include a condition to prevent uranium mining from occurring, however the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of WA's Robin Chapple says that some of the mining tenements are "clearly identified as being uranium holdings by the corporations on their web sites and mines department records. There is no ambiguity about their intentions." ANAWA led the 1999-2000 campaign that stopped an international nuclear waste dump and several uranium mines from being established in WA.

There is no WA legislation to prevent uranium mining. Despite Labor's public commitment to oppose uranium mining, the Greens' 2000 Nuclear Activities (Prohibition) Bill was rejected by state parliament.

The granting of the new exploration leases is only one facet of the current pro-nuclear push in WA. At a public forum in July organised by the Conservation Council of WA, Liberal politician Colin Barnett argued in favour of uranium mining and nuclear power. On June 28, the public communications director of the World Nuclear Forum, Ian Hoare Lacy, addressed an Australian Institute of Energy luncheon in Perth on "The Case for Nuclear Energy". A lively protest was held outside the luncheon.

To get involved in the anti-nuclear campaign, contact the ANAWA at (08) 9271 4488 or email <admin@anawa.org.au>.

From Green Left Weekly, August 10, 2005.

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From GLW issue 637