By Tom Flanagan
Mining of the Jabiluka uranium deposit appears set to gain federal government approval following meetings last week between Energy Resources Australia (ERA) boss Phillip Shirvington and the new federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Warwick Parer.
If it allows the mine to go ahead, the Howard government will be challenging the widespread anti-nuclear sentiment in Australia and risks reviving a movement subdued for over a decade by the ALP's promise of no new uranium mines.
Former ALP Energy and Resources Minister Bob Collins was conscious of the weight of public opinion on this issue. During the recent election campaign he was quoted in the February 6 Centralian Advocate saying: "I have battled hard myself to have my party's three uranium mine policy scrapped, but the political reality is that 60% or more of the population support it ... They do not want any further mines opened and if it were to occur at Kakadu it would trigger the mother of all environmental protests".
Collins' observation regarding public reaction to a mine in Kakadu is accurate. Such judgements by the Keating government regarding the amount of environmental and social vandalism it could get away with were key to its survival for 13 years.
If the new federal government allows the Jabiluka mine to go ahead, or the proposed mine at Koongarra, not only does it risk mobilising all those opposed to the nuclear fuel cycle, but also all those whose appreciation of the natural environment extends beyond what can be dug up, chopped down or shot at.
The Jabiluka uranium deposit, as well as a proposed mine at Koongarra and the existing Ranger mine, are located in areas excised from Kakadu National Park, but within its outer borders. This arrangement makes it possible to mine the deposits despite the fact that mining within Kakadu is prohibited by the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act.
Unfortunately, ecological systems interact on their own terms, not according to lines drawn on maps. The fact that the Jabiluka site is located beside the Magela Creek flood plain, the creek flowing into the East Alligator River, points to the potential for the mine to cause disruption well beyond its boundaries.
Aesthetically the mine will impact on the park for as far as the eye can see, literally. In an attempt to minimise public protest about the creation of an eyesore, the favoured proposal is for an underground mine. The plan is to transport the ore to the existing Ranger mine for processing which would require a new 20 kilometre private road. A new 50 hectare dam and new buildings would also be built at the Jabiluka site.
While underground mining may help the government ease some aesthetic concerns, it creates a high cancer-risk workplace for the miners. Radon gas, a natural decay product of uranium, can accumulate in enclosed places and when inhaled acts as a potent carcinogen. Several studies have shown an increased incidence of lung cancer among former workers in underground uranium mines. ERA's promise of 2000 jobs is not the benefit it first appears when considered from this perspective.
In addition to the Jabiluka proposal, the March 5 Northern Territory News reported that ERA is also planning to develop the Ranger Three ore body next to the existing Ranger mine. This will be accompanied by an expansion of its mill capacity by 50% over the next 15 months.
The trigger for this new uranium onslaught is not just the election of the Howard government and the lifting of Labor's three mines policy. The world price of uranium rose 25% last year, and has already risen another 20% this year to $US15 a pound.
The real price of uranium is unfortunately much higher. And it is all of us and future generations who will have to pay, just as the people of Chernobyl have paid and are still paying, through death and radiation related illness and deformity.
Concern for preserving Kakadu as a unique wilderness area is what may initially mobilise people against uranium mining in the coming months, but it is important that this concern be developed into a full understanding of the real cost of the nuclear fuel cycle. We need to build public opposition to uranium mining to a level that can't be ignored and force the closure of all uranium mines.
On or around April 26, the 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, anti-uranium mining activities will be held in most major cities in Australia. Get involved.