Thursday, 23 August, 2007

by Trish Crossin
ALP

What's the CLP's nuclear policy?

Senator Trish Crossin says a year after announcing its inquiry into uranium enrichment in the NT the CLP Policy Committee should come clean on their nuclear policy and release their report.

"Given the Coalition's radioactive waste dump lies to Territorians before the 2004 election, this time the CLP must make their position clear on uranium enrichment and nuclear power in the NT well before the federal election" Senator Crossin said.

"National Party leader Mark Vaile, Nigel Scullion's Parliamentary leader, yesterday offered communities a binding referendum on any nuclear power development so why not bring it on in Solomon at this election?

"Labor's vision of a clean energy future is clear but no one knows what the CLP and the Coalition stands for anymore.

Before a referendum on the CLP's nuclear policy we would need to know:

· What the CLP's enrichment inquiry report found
· If the CLP want nuclear reactors in the NT
· If the CLP agrees with Dave Tollner that humans aren't responsible for global warming so there's no justification for nuclear power as a (questionable) green house measure

· If Darwin Harbour would be used to import the international waste the Liberal's National Conference resolution supported dumping in "remote areas".

· If the CLP supports the private consortium's proposal for an Australian enrichment plant, as detailed on the ABC's 7.30 Report on 14-06-07 (NB one suggested site was in Mal Brough's electorate at Caboolture)

"Many Territorians made submissions to the CLP's enrichment inquiry announced on 24 August last year and are still awaiting a response.

"The report needs to be released well before the Federal election. Strangely all mention of the enrichment inquiry seems to have been removed from the CLP's websites.

"Mr Tollner claimed last year that local enrichment is a nuclear non proliferation measure yet a year later his government is proposing to sell uranium to India despite it not being a signatory to the nuclear non proliferation treaty.

"Mr Tollner was also being completely naive comparing the risk from low level yellowcake going across Darwin wharfs to the danger from highly enriched uranium being trucked back and fourth through Darwin" Senator Crossin said.