Saturday, 21 July, 2007

by Lacklan Heywood
The Courier Mail

AUSTRALIA is pushing ahead at breakneck speed in its quest to go nuclear.

Days after pledging $12.5 million to set up a nuclear research centre, the Federal Government yesterday confirmed Australia was negotiating to join US President George W. Bush's global nuclear energy partnership.

Entry into the exclusive group would pave the way for Australia to get involved in controversial nuclear enrichment.

But Prime Minister John Howard denied Australia would take nuclear waste from other countries.

"We've made that clear, we're not taking other people's waste," he said.

The Courier-Mail reported yesterday that Australia and Canada, the world's two largest uranium producers, would be invited to the next meeting of the energy partnership group in Vienna in September.

The group was established to support the roll-out of nuclear power while restricting the number of countries able to process uranium.

Enriching uranium is a contentious issue because the process can be adapted for weapons programs.

Sanctions are being sought by the US and its allies against Iran over its unauthorised uranium enrichment program.

Mr Howard said nuclear power remained an attractive future option for Australia.

"We shouldn't close our minds to nuclear power," he said.

"I keep hearing from people in the Labor Party and elsewhere that we want cleaner alternatives to this dirty commodity coal.

"Well, the cleanest alternative of all, which is capable of generating enough power to run our nation, is nuclear."

Earlier this week, Mr Howard announced a joint venture involving universities and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to examine various aspects of nuclear power technologies.

A Government report last year found that 25 nuclear power stations could provide a third of Australia's energy by 2050.

Despite reversing a 25-year ban on new uranium mines, federal Labor remains opposed to nuclear power stations, uranium enrichment and nuclear waste treatment.

Opposition treasury spokesman Wayne Swan said: "Labor has made it very clear that we oppose the Prime Minister's nuclear plan and we will do so vigorously all the way to the election."