Tuesday, 27 February, 2007

ABC NT Local News

A recently retired senior minister in the Northern Territory Government has questioned the economic benefits a uranium mine would bring to Alice Springs.

Peter Toyne was at an Alice Springs Town Council meeting last night for a symbolic vote on whether the municipality should be declared nuclear-free.

Around 200 supporters packed the council chambers as the proposal was quashed.

Some Alderman argued uranium mining would boost economic development.

But the former health minister, attorney-general and minister for central Australia says their claims have not been properly tested.

"As a local Centralian I would want to see the Northern Territory Government as well as the Federal Government look very, very carefully at the wins and losses of any of those sort of proposals," Mr Toyne said.

"I think we're going to lose a lot here in Central Australia if we're not very careful about it ... I can't imagine tourists would be as keen to come to a uranium-mining province as they are to come to Central Australia at the moment."