Monday, 24 July, 2006

ABC News Online

Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley has announced he will move to scrap the party's 'three mines' uranium policy.

He will put forward the proposal at next year's Labor Party conference.

Mr Beazley says he expects there will be some opposition from within the party.

"We are a democratic party, probably the last left in the country," he said.

"We have open debates on these sorts of matters and arrive at conclusions.

"I'm not doing this because I think it's easy, I'm doing it because I think it is in the national interest."

Mr Beazley says it is an economically and socially responsible move.

Under Mr Beazley's proposal a new uranium mine could be built if it complied with tough safety standards.

The ALP adopted the three mines policy in 1984, confining uranium production to Ranger, Nabarlek and Olympic Dam mines.

Mr Beazley says he will not support uranium enrichment or nuclear power because doing that would be a policy of an "idiot".

Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell says Mr Beazley has done a backflip on the issue.

"He doesn't mind potentially mining more uranium, but has got his head in the sand and doesn't even want there to be a debate of nuclear, the future of enrichment, the future role of Australia in the nuclear fuel cycle," he said.

Meanwhile Australian Greens leader Bob Brown says it is a spineless move by the Opposition Leader.

He has drawn parallels with Mr Beazley's response to the Tampa refugee crisis.

"In what was an immoral stand against refugees, this is an immoral stand as far as the environment and Australia being nuclear free is concerned," he said.

"Again Kim Beazley is lining up in the run to an election with John Howard and the electorate won't appreciate that."

The mining industry says the federal Opposition Leader's intention to change the policy is long overdue.

Kezia Purick from the Minerals Council says if successful, Mr Beazley's move will give business more certainty.

"If they do change their policy, which industry is lobbying that they will do at their national conference next year, then it could send a clear message and a signal to industry that the ALP is going to start to take and support the uranium industry, which they haven't done in the past."