Aust. Govt approves mining and export of vast uranium deposits

Press, 26 August 1977, Page 6

Aust. Govt approves mining and export of vast uranium deposits

NZPA Canberra! The Australian Govern- i ment has decided in favour t of the mining and export of |i its rich uranium deposits, j but under strict environmen-1 tai and international safe- i guards, the Prime Minister I’ (Mr Malcolm Fraser) has an-li nounced. It has given an immediate I: go-ahead for the 85,000 tonne Ranger deposit in the ' Northern Territory, jointly; owned by the Com- ii monwealth Government with! a 72j per cent holding, and 1 Peko Mines, Ltd, and Elec- / trolytic Zinc, which each; have a 13| per cent stake. Other finds including Pancontinental’s Japiluka.; Queensland Mines Nararlek and Noranda’s Koongarra i deposit, will be developed on, a “de facto" sequential! basis. The companies will first! have to satisfy the Govern-! ment that their operations I conform with a mandatory code of practice, that envi-| ronmental protection requirements have been complied with, and that sale contracts conform with the Government's nuclear safeguards policy. The announcement was made in Parliament after months of deliberation by Government departments, and the Cabinet and after an I exhaustive environmental! inquiry headed by Mr Jus-I tice Fox. I The Prime Minister dealt ; only with dew>sits in the I

Northern Territory and said that the Government could see no reason at this time to specify the sequence of ura(nium projects elsewhere in [Australia. Mr Fraser said devel-i opment outside the territory would be considered by a new body recommended by the Fox inquiry' to be known [as the Uranium Advisory • Council which will act as a watch-dog over the industry. ; "Uranium mining may I mow proceed, but only in I j ways which will not destroy; lor spoil the national heri-i tage of the region with its , magnificent scenery and I unique eco-systems and which will not harm those; specific areas of the region' .considered sacred err of deep isignificance by the Aborigi-' ; nal people,” said the Prime [Minister. "The export of Australian ■ (uranium will decrease the; [ risks of further proliferation ; lof nuclear weapons and will] support and strengthen the ; Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” Mr Fraser told Parliament. i “It will help to make a safer world. “The advent of Australia I as a major supplier of uranium will make certain that Australia’s voice on this most vita! problem of international affair- — nuclear I weapons proliferation — [will be heard.” Mr Fraser said that the Government was satisfied that technology existed for (the safe management and ul-

timate disposal of highly; radioactive waste. But at the same time, the Prime Minister said that “there is no intention of Australia storing other counitries’ radioactive wastes.” Mr Fraser disclosed that Australia had accepted an! invitation to take part in the 1 International Nuclear Fuell Cycle Evaluation. He said international stud-; |ies would begin soon, and! (Australia as a producer and! supplier of uranium, could: [be an effective force in ach- • ieving improved international safeguards and con-; trols. The Prime Minister said i that if uranium mining did • not go ahead it would deny Australia an effective voice in strengthening safeguards; and non-proliferation measjures. I “It would accelerate .moves to the plutonium j economy with its prolifera- : tion risks, abandon the world's energy-poor countries. and deny Australia significant economic benefits,” he said. Sales of uranium from the Ranger deposit alone by the year 2000 could reap Australia sAust2o.oooM and net national benefits discounted to present worth terms could reach sAust32ssM. In a related statement, the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Doug Anthony) who is also Minister for National Resources, said production and sales from Ranger could begin by 1981-82 at aerate of

.2000 short tons of yellow-! cake (uranium oxide) in-! creasing to 10,000 short tonsj in 1985-86. Mr Fraser in his speech said that the Government had decided to declare in stages a national park in the I region, to protect and pre-i ! serve the natural features, [the flora and fauna, the • Aboriginal sacred sites and cave paintings. , The Prime Minister said 'that the area to be declared; first would be “substantially greater" than that gazetted m 1975 for the Kakadu National Park and greater than the first stage recommended by the inquiry. He did not specify thej area. However the four; deposits, including the Kooijngarra lease which the Fox inquiry recommended not be ; proceeded with at this stage, ■ have been excluded from the i proposed national park area. ; "Because the Govern- ■ ment’s requirement that it •jbe satisfied as to the acceptability of the impact of each ■ • development on the environment, a considerable amount "of planning and ini'vestigation into the environ•l mental effects of any develt opment of Noranda's deposit 1 at Koongarra will have to be • undertaken. "That deposit has particu-’ i lar environmental problems ’ because of the sensitivity > and fragility of the environment of the area and the 10-1 1 cation of the deposit up--1 stream of a major wetlands Larea,” said Mr Fraser.

Mr Anthony said that for control and regulation of uranium development they would:

Appoint a supervising; scientist and establish a coordinating committee and research institute; Use the national parks and Wildlife Conservation Act; Make specific arrangements to ensure Aboriginal! : welfare; | Establish a uranium mar-i keting authority or similar! marketing arrangements to achieve the objective of; orderly development; Establish a uranium advisory council; and i Establish a uniform code lof practice for the uranium mining and milling industry. The Minister for National) Resources said that the Gov-! ernment would want to seel Australia’s uranium industry: developed as a stable and; secure long-term supplier of 1 energy to other countries on fair and reasonable terms. “We will not allow the development of our uranium! industry to be dictated by[ volatile events in markets abroad. . “Furthermore, we will! [ensure that our marketing; arrangements accord no I marketing advantage to! | Ranger resulting specifically. , from Government participation in that project,” he I said. a