Govt calls for states to dump uranium mining bans
Tuesday, 5 December, 2006
ABC NT Local News
Mr Macfarlane says there are 13 projects in three jurisdictions that will not go ahead if the state governments do not remove the bans.
Applications for uranium mines in the Northern Territory are decided by the Federal Government and are overseen by the Territory Government.
Mr Macfarlane says there is an opportunity for the NT Government to take control of the approvals process if it has a practical approach to uranium mining.
"Then the Commonwealth Government would be more than happy to pass the oversight of that back to the Territory Government," he said.
"But while ever they have a philosophical approach to uranium mining, then they're basically foregoing their rights to approvals."
Mr Macfarlane says the Territory should not get tied down by Federal Labor's stance on uranium mining.
"The Territory Government currently opposes approvals to new mines for uranium, yet they have an existing uranium mine and they also allow exports out of the Northern Territory as well as exploration for uranium," he said.
"That just doesn't make sense to anyone.
"If the Territory Government was fair dinkum then they would allow the approval process to be handled by the Territory Government."
Meanwhile, the federal Member for Kennedy in Queensland, Bob Katter, has welcomed a parliamentary committee report supporting the establishment of uranium mines in his electorate.
The seat of Kennedy has about 25 uranium deposits and Mr Katter says mining them would create about 400 jobs.
"The committee weighed the evidence put before them and clearly it is ridiculous to restrict uranium mining," he said.
"Now also the committee said that there was no justification or cause or reason to proceed with nuclear power - so it was a very fair outcome."