Wednesday, 26 July, 2006

ABC News Online

Federal Labor MP and environmentalist Peter Garrett has declared his opposition to Labor leader Kim Beazley's attempt to discard the no new uranium mines policy.

Mr Beazley will move to have the ban scrapped at next year's ALP national conference.

Mr Garrett, who is a former Australian Conservation Foundation president, says he opposes any change to the policy.

"I'm not convinced that expanding uranium mining is in the best interests of the country, in the best interests of its environment, Indigenous people, the security framework which has got tatters in it at the moment," he said.

"So I'll be arguing very strongly that we ought to consider that as not the road to take at the present point in time."

Mr Garrett will not be drawn on whether he thinks he can change Mr Beazley's mind.

"What I do know is that I've got a chance to contribute to debate in a political party that welcomes debate and I think that's fantastic and that's necessary and that's good," he said.

But he says he will not desert the Labor Party if the policy is dropped.

"I'm in the Labor tent for good, and I'll discuss and put very strongly my own views to conference, to colleagues like any other member would," he said.

"But any suggestion that someone in my situation is going to pick up the bat and go home simply because there is a possibility that a decision is made by the conference that he personally disagrees with - that's not what I'm here for.

"I'm here to make a contribution to the party, to make a contribution to debate in the country and I intend to stick around and do that."

Mr Garrett denies he has sold out on the nuclear issue.

"I don't spend a lot of time second-guessing what people think I'm doing," he said.

"My conviction about us being as far into nuclear as we ought to be is strong, my reservations about expanding the nuclear industry and all parts of it remain and I will have strong debate in the party and I'm looking forward to it."