Tuesday, 25 July, 2006

ABC NT Local News

Clare Martin has thrown her support behind the move to scrap the no new mines policy

The Northern Territory Chief Minister denies her support for the expansion of uranium mining is an act of surrender to the Federal Government on hosting a nuclear waste dump.

Clare Martin has thrown her support behind the push by the federal Labor leader Kim Beazley to scrap the party's no new mines policy.

She says she has always personally supported uranium mining even though she defended the existing party policy prior to the last Territory election.

Ms Martin says countries that import uranium should also deal with the waste.

"There is not a connection between uranium mines and being the waste dump for other people's nuclear waste," she said.

"And I think the big issue here for the Federal Government is the Federal Government lied to territorians. And that's a very serious issue."

Ms Martin says there is no link between expanding uranium mining in the Top End and having to store nuclear waste.

"We don't take every single battery in the world back and we produce some of the raw material for batteries," she said.

"And I think that part of the discussion we've had in Caucus and it's quite strongly supported is, we should be saying those who take our uranium, 'look after the waste products'."

The Northern Territory Mines Minister says an expansion of uranium extraction could provide a significant boost to the local economy.

At this stage, the Territory Government says it does not know of any new commercially viable deposits of uranium.

But Kon Vatskalis says the proposed policy change could be lucrative for the Territory.

"We've got one particular mine, ERA in Jabiru, that employs about 350-400 people [which] generates significant wealth for the Territory," he said.

"If a similar size mine opens in the Territory, we will double the number of people working and that would double the income for Territorians."