Wednesday, 26 July, 2006

by Emma Gumbleton
NT News

CHIEF Minister Clare Martin has done an about face on new uranium mines, saying the Territory market should be opened up.

And the policy backflip has put her at odds with some of her Labor Party colleagues.

The move follows federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley's call to scrap Labor's two-decade-old no new uranium mines policy - a position he has backed until now.

Ms Martin yesterday welcomed the ``tolerant'' approach but admitted it would be highly controversial and possibly damaging to the party.

She denied back-flipping on the subject, which was a key issue at last year's Territory election.

``I've always been someone who's supported uranium, so it wasn't as though I personally said `I don't want any more uranium mines','' she said.

``I was supporting party policy, which was limited uranium mines. Now we're going to have a debate on it at a national level.

``Now that we're going to change it, I have been thinking through what my position is and I think Territorians expect me to respond to circumstances.''

But federal Labor member for Lingiari Warren Snowdon remained steadfast yesterday in his opposition to new uranium mines.

``My attitude to the uranium or nuclear industry has not changed and that's based on my concerns to do with the nuclear states, nuclear weapons, nuclear proliferation and the broader environmental questions,'' he said.

``The Labor Party has a long history of opposing uranium mining, but things have moved on and circumstances have changed. I can be convinced but it will be difficult.''

NT Labor senator Trish Crossin also opposes changes to the ``three mines policy'' - but said Ms Martin was right to express her personal opinion.

``I don't think it puts her, myself or Warren in opposition,'' she said.

``For me, if we haven't sorted out what we're going to do with the waste, why are we suggesting we should dig up more of the stuff?

``I think there are all these unanswered questions that need to be part of this debate before we suggest the policy needs changing.''

Ms Martin admitted the controversial decision ``won't make my life easy'', but said she had not deceived voters.

As recently as March, Ms Martin still would not say whether she supported changing Labor's three-mines uranium policy.