Environment Centre criticises China uranium deal

Tuesday 4 April 2006
ABC NT Local News

The Northern Territory Environment Centre says a nuclear safeguard agreement signed between China and Australia is not worth the paper it is written on.

Prime Minister John Howard and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao signed the pact yesterday.

The agreement ensures there are international inspections of Chinese nuclear facilities and that Australian uranium is only sold to electricity companies.

The environment centre's Peter Robertson says China does not have the systems of transparency in place to be trusted with any Australian uranium.

"The only thing that the Australian Government can do, if it's got any concern for the environment or humanity, is to cancel the agreement to supply uranium to China," he said.

He says the pact is a grab-the-cash-and-run-style agreement.

"China is a serial offender in terms of its irresponsible conduct, in terms of spreading nuclear technology, nuclear weapons and we don't believe Australia has any capacity to regulate the use of uranium once it arrives in China," he said.