Howard holds nuclear laws until after the election
Wednesday, 26 September, 2007
Sydney Morning Herald
Coalition sources said nuclear politics was proving unpopular and the Government had no desire to highlight the issue with the election so close and the Coalition trailing in the polls. "We want to minimise any barnacles at this juncture. We want smooth sailing from here on," a source said.
On April 28, in the middle of the debate on uranium mining at Labor's national conference, Mr Howard announced a raft of measures designed to propel Australia towards a nuclear future.
While most of the measures were not to be implemented until next year, the Prime Minister indicated that some steps could be taken "immediately". These included changing environmental legislation that prohibits "nuclear activity" to allow nuclear power, uranium enrichment and reprocessing.
Mr Howard also gave notice of laws "removing unnecessary constraints impeding the expansion of uranium mining such as overlapping and cumbersome regulations relating to the mining and transport of uranium ore".
The laws were expected to pass by the end of this year.
Parliament is scheduled to sit again on October 15 unless Mr Howard calls the election before then. If Parliament reconvenes, the Coalition does not intend to introduce any of the proposed legislation.
One spokesman said the decision to delay the legislation until after the election was prompted by last month's belated pledge that no nuclear power station would be built without a local plebiscite. Mr Howard was forced to make the pledge after he generated anger by saying commercial decisions would dictate the site of nuclear plants.
"That heralded the end of all talk about it," a Coalition source said of the Government's nuclear plans.
A Coalition spokesman said the Government remained a keen advocate for nuclear energy as a solution to climate change. "It's still our intention to do these things but not until next year," he said.
Labor opposes nuclear power in Australia.
With the Australian rules and rugby league grand finals on Saturday and Sunday respectively, few expect the election will be called this weekend.
Mr Howard said he would attend both matches. "Now that's giving you a full run-down of what I'm going to do," he said of his weekend plans.
The Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, angrily warned his MPs yesterday against arrogance and hubris after a report that backbenchers and factions were already fighting over the positions of speaker and Senate president. "Winning this election and 16 seats is like climbing Everest and I will be coming down like a ton of bricks on anyone showing any level of arrogance," Mr Rudd said.
The Government leapt on the report. The Treasurer, Peter Costello, said Mr Rudd "is measuring up the curtains at the Prime Minister's residence" while Mr Howard said Labor was overwhelmed with its own sense of triumphalism and hubris.
In Tasmania yesterday, Mr Rudd outbid Mr Howard on health spending in the state by promising $50 million in upgrades in the two Coalition seats of Braddon and Bass. Mr Howard has promised to take over the Mersey Hospital in Braddon at a cost of $45 million.