PROPOSED
NEW REACTOR - SENATE INQUIRY CONCLUDES THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE BUILT!
The Federal
Government is set to spend about half a billion dollars (half its
entire science budget) on a new research reactor that it has already
contracted an Argentinean company (INVAP) to build at Lucas Heights
in Sydney's south-suburban Sutherland Shire.
But the
Senate Inquiry report into the new reactor was released on Wed 23
May 2001. As this came in the middle of the Federal Budget media,
it got little fanfare. The Committee consisted of 3 ALP, 1 Democrat,
1 National and 2 Liberals. The majority concluded that A NEW REACTOR
SHOULD NOT BE BUILT. The Coalition members dissented and the Government
has described it as an ALP and Democrat 'stunt' (a pretty long and
tedious grind for these committee stuntpersons!) and that the conclusion
was driven by 'anti-nuclear ideology'!
Greens
Senator Bob Brown's press release notes that there IS a way that the
Government could get out of the contract if it wanted to. ("ANSTO
may for its own convenience terminate the employment of INVAP under
the contract." page 146) So there should be NOTHING in the way
of an ALP commitment to scrap the reactor except that there may be
a real concern in ALP ranks that votes may be lost from people afraid
of losing access to these isotopes.
The Australian
Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has been working
hard and long to convince the public that this new reactor is needed
for vital medical radioisotopes. But there is plenty of good evidence
that Australians need not miss out on their isotopes if we don't have
a new reactor. A public education campaign to reassure people that
they will not miss out on their medical isotopes and/or equivalent
technologies will be needed. We can all help spread the word. Informing
yourself and helping inform those around you is really important.
Medical matters travel well by word of mouth - a major conversation
topic in lunchrooms and family barbecues!
We strongly
recommend you check Dr Jim Green's website for EVERYTHING you need
to know about the reactor and its alternatives:
You can
see the yourself.
FOOD
IRRADIATION
On 16
May 2001 the Federal Labor Party called for a halt and more assessment
of the proposed Caboolture irradiation plant.
"Labor has two principal concerns about this project", Shadow
Minister for the Environment, Senator Nick Bolkus said. "Firstly,
the Howard Government has chosen the lowest form of environmental
assessment for the nuclear facility. Secondly there is public unease
surrounding the issue of large-scale irradiation plants and there
has not been enough public debate."
Background
The irradiation industry uses radioactive substances to kill the natural
organisms which limit the shelf-life of food, and to sterilise medical
supplies. A company called Steritech, which already operates in Dandenong
Victoria, is proposing to build an irradiation facility at Narangba
in Caboolture a dairying shire in Queensland. Many locals are bitterly
opposed to it. Irradiation uses the radioactive isotope Cobalt-60
which must be imported from Canada. Transport and storage of this
material are related problems of course. More information has been
coming to light about this whole industry, and issues related to the
use of irradiation on food, etc. See nukefreefood.freeservers.com
MORE
URANIUM MINES
In the
five years since the election of the Federal Liberal government, there
has been a serious push to expand Australia's uranium mining and other
nuclear activities.
The Beverley acid-leach uranium mine in South Australia has become
Australia's third uranium mine, joining Roxby Downs (SA) and Ranger
(NT).
Jabiluka,
on the edge of Kakadu National Park (NT), was scheduled to be the
3rd mine but courageous, creative resistance on many fronts by the
Traditional Owners (the Mirrar) and their supporters around the world
has delayed it for several years and it is still 'on hold'. Now Rio
Tinto ('parent'of the mining company ERA, with a 68% holding) are
talking loudly about not mining Jabiluka in the 'foreseeable future',
while ERA still say they will mine it AND are working very hard to
expand and extend the life of the mining operation at nearby Ranger
Mine. They have locked key representatives of the Mirrar out of these
negotiations with the Northern Land Council.
Honeymoon
(near Broken Hill, SA), another proposed acid-leach uranium mine has
been delayed in response to public submissions. The Environment Minister,
Senator Hill, has called for more detail on how the groundwater will
be rehabilitated. The company is expected to report back in June,
with Federal government approvals following soon after. It's not clear
yet whether the export licence will be granted before the elections.
The ALP
platform is to allow existing mines to keep operating but not to allow
new ones, so Honeymoon will be in a very 'grey area.' Lobbying your
Federal ALP politicians should help.
Australia
has about 30% of the world's uranium deposits, so of course there
is plenty of commercial interest in mining it. Queensland's ALP government
is blocking the industry's hopes of new mining there. WA had over
300 leases but the new WA ALP government (with the urging and support
of 5 Greens WA members of the Upper House) is expected to legislate
against uranium mining very soon. There is a lot more exploration
going on in SA and NT, where mining companies face no political obstacles
under present State and Federal governments.
PROPOSED
NATIONAL WASTE DUMP in SA
The Government's
plan is to transport the 'low level' and 'short-lived intermediate'
nuclear waste from this new reactor to a NATIONAL RADIOACTIVE WASTE
REPOSITORY (NRWR) in the Woomera area, near where the Aboriginal people
have already suffered the Maralinga bomb tests of the 1950's. The
SA government and the vast majority of SA voters are opposed to a
'high level' nuclear waste dump but the government is willing to accept
'low level' waste. Many people feel that it's a 'thin end of the wedge'
situation and once a waste repository has been built, the pressure
will be on to take higher grades of nuclear waste.
PANGEA'S
PLAN FOR AN INTERNATIONAL WASTE DUMP
The national
waste dump in South Australia is different from the proposal by a
British-Canadian-US company called PANGEA to import and bury 20% of
the world's high level nuclear waste in outback WA (or possibly SA).
In October 1999 after a 50,000 strong petition campaign, the WA government
legislated against the importation of foreign nuclear waste. However
Pangea is still headquartered at a secret office in Perth and doing
research in the region they're most interested in (Officer Basin,
near Laverton). They've even been found sponsoring at least one WA
charity! They say they will present their full proposal to the WA
government in a few years with a $6 billion sweetener attached.
PINE
GAP & STAR WARS
The Pine
Gap spy base ('Joint Defence Space Research Facility') near Alice
Springs is a vital part of the NMD plans. It has already been used
since Oct. 1999 in the development of this system. To match the technology
of a new generation of satellites, an expensive upgraded relay station
will be built at Pine Gap to receive signals and relay the early warnings
of missile launches to the US. The system is expected to be functional
by 2004.
It is
already obvious that our proposed involvement in NMD is aggravating
to the Chinese government, (and other governments too) so could make
us a target in the event of nuclear war between the US and one of
its 'enemies'.
Where
the parties stand
The Liberal Government has made it very clear that it totally supports
the US move, while Mr Beazley said (AM, 8 May) that while the ANZUS
treaty was extremely important to Australia, 'Australia did not necessarily
have to go along with every single thing the Bush administration did.'
ALP foreign
affairs spokesperson Laurie Brereton had said in response to the Bush
announcement of the missile defence program, that an ALP government
would review involvement in missile defence via the joint facilities,
and on March 1 the Senate carried a motion to that effect. The opposition
stance is heartening but Australian non-involvement is not yet totally
'in the bag'. Lobbying your ALP politicians should help.
'Monster'
sign-on protest letter to be launched 12 June 2001
Just before a crucial NATO meeting, at which Bush will be present
and at which missile defence will be discussed, a 'monster' letter
of protest against Star Wars signed by 600+ organisations and parliamentarians
from around the world will be launched in Sydney by Friends of the
Earth and other disarmament campaigners. Perth campaigners will deliver
copies of this letter to the US Consul, helped by a converted 'Alexander
the Downer.' The British-American Security information Council will
launch the letter in London with friendly MPs, CND and others. Physicians
for Social Responsibility, Council for a Livable World and 200 other
groups will descend to on Washington for the same purpose.
The letter
is addressed to Heads and Secretaries of state and Foreign and Defence
Ministers of the USA, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia.
See the
full text at
and write and fax one of your own to add fuel to this peaceful fire!
President
George W. Bush
1-202-456-2461, 1-202-456-2883 PM Tony Blair
44-207-925-0918, Robin Cook, UK Min. for Foreign Affairs
44-207-829-2417 AUSTRALIA Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs
02-6273-4112, 08-8370-8166 Peter Reith, Minister for Defence
02-6273-4115, 03-5979-3034 Kim Beazley Leader of the Opposition
02-6277-8495
Plans
for Pine Gap blockade
The Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition is planning a blockade
of Pine Gap next Easter (2002) if it seems that this base will be
used in Bush's Star Wars plan. See www.anti-bases.org
THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED EVERY MONTH OR MORE OFTEN, WHEN THERE ARE
SIGNIFICANT NEW DEVELOPMENTS.
REMEMBER
THAT IN AN ELECTION YEAR, YOUR LETTERS, PHONE CALLS AND VISITS TO POLITICIANS
WILL COUNT MORE THAN USUAL.
