Friday, 20 July, 2007

ABC News

Mr Downer says the storage of nuclear waste is not on the agenda.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer says suggestions that closer nuclear ties with the United States will lead to Australia becoming a nuclear waste dumping ground are wacky.

The Federal Government will update a nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, but the Democrats and environmentalists are warning that the US is looking for somewhere to store its waste.

Mr Downer says the storage of nuclear waste is not on the agenda.

"One of the more wacky theories I've heard is that this is a secret plan to bring nuclear waste to Australia," he said.

"Nobody's ever mentioned nuclear waste, except in the letter I wrote to the Prime Minister saying that we had no intention of becoming a repository for nuclear waste."

Mr Downer says the talk of Australia becoming an international nuclear waste dump is part of a anti-uranium scare campaign.

The Federal Government has not ruled out joining the Bush Administration's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, but Mr Downer denies that means nuclear waste storage is a possible outcome.

"Do I think we should be supplying the world with uranium? Yes," he said.

"Do I think that nuclear power is a successful response to CO2 emissions and climate change? Yes.

"Do I think that the critics of this are running a scare campaign? Yes."