ABC NT Local News
Tuesday 25 October 2005

A federal parliamentary inquiry has questioned mining company Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) about the way uranium mining is regulated.

The House of Representatives committee looking into uranium mining held hearings in Darwin last night.

The Northern Territory Environment Centre told the hearings that the mining regulators, including the Office of the Supervising Scientist and Northern Territory Department of Mines, were too close to industry.

Opposition resources spokesman Martin Ferguson put the allegation to the managing director of ERA.

"Because there's been suggestions that the supervising scientist is not rigorously doing their job in terms of putting their finger on your company with respect to the requirements of health and safety and environmental safety etcetera," he said.

"What do you have to say about these comments made today by the Environment Centre of the Northern Territory?"

ERA managing director Harry Kenyon Slaney said the Office of the Supervising Scientist conducted investigations at the Ranger uranium mine in late 2003 that led to the company being prosecuted.

He told the hearings the regulator was transparent and rigorous in its audit of ERA.

"I led the company through its first prosecution in its history and it wasn't a particularly enjoyable experience," he said.

"If you want to draw the inference that the supervising scientist is in some way in our pocket, it's difficult to see why they would follow that course of action."

Northern Territory Mining Minister Kon Vatskalis did not make a submission to the committee or attend the hearings in Darwin, and instead sent three officials to answer questions.

Committee member Jackie Kelly grilled the Territory Government's uranium officer Keith Taylor about links between auditors of the Ranger uranium mine and its operators.

"Have any of them gone on to work for ERA or related companies?" she said.

Mr Taylor replied: "I couldn't give you an answer to that one, not to my knowledge... again I'm not aware of these people's backgrounds... but as far as I'm aware, no."