Sunday, 29 April, 2007

The West Australian

Freeing up uranium exports could fuel a new nuclear arms race and enable nuclear attacks on Australia, Greens leader Bob Brown has warned.

Prime Minister John Howard on Saturday flagged the government's intention to remove all unnecessary restrictions on mining, processing and exporting uranium, opening the way for domestic nuclear power generation.

And Labor voted on Saturday to expand its uranium mining policy to allow the opening of more uranium mines.

But Senator Brown said Australia had no need for uranium mining or export.

"We can export it to other countries including Russia, for example, which just this week is reneging on a major treaty to contain conventional weapons," Senator Brown told Network Ten.

"That is very, very scary."

He suggested India and China could bomb Australia with its own uranium if exporting of the mineral is opened up.

"You cannot draw a line between the peaceful use of nuclear power and the production of nuclear weapons.

"We're in an age where China's got rockets that can reach Sydney, India just fired a rocket that went 3,000 kilometres, double that and they will very shortly ... be able to reach Australia too and we're exporting uranium to them. It is daft, it is immoral, it is unnecessary."

Senator Brown said the real answer to the threat of climate change was through energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Senator Brown has also lashed out at Labor frontbencher Peter Garrett, saying he's has been gulped up by the Federal opposition.

"Grandma Party says `come a little closer Little Red Riding Hood and change us from inside' and then `gulp' and that's the last you hear," Senator Brown told Network Ten.

"All we're left with is hope.

"Hope that somewhere down the line Peter will be able to influence Labor in ameliorating a policy which, as you saw yesterday, went through the Labor Party yesterday not on its merits but so it wouldn't embarrass Kevin Rudd.

"What an extraordinary failure of principle."

The Greens tried to woo Mr Garrett before he joined Labor at the last election and Senator Brown said he was happy the former rock singer was the opposition's environment spokesman.

"We're going to see Peter advocating further uranium mining and exports and people are going to shake their heads around the country.

"Personally, I'm pleased he's in there, I think he'd be the best person that Labor's got to be the next minister for the environment."