Wednesday 1 March 2006
by Nigel Adlam, Northern Territory News

Up to five new uranium mines could open in the Territory over the next decade, a nuclear seminar was told yesterday.

Several speakers said the NT was on the verge of an unprecedented uranium boom.

Minerals Council chief executive Kezia Purick said the NT had abundant uranium reserves and was well placed to meet global nuclear energy needs.

She said it was important Australia sold uranium only to signatories of the nuclear non-proliferation agreement.

About 10 demonstrators gathered outside the seminar at the SkyCity Casino in Darwin.

NT Senator Trish Crossin said from Canberra yesterday Australia's nuclear regulator had hampered the right of Territorians to have a say on the nuclear waste facility planned for the NT.

She said the guidelines for the depository were "virtually buried" by being released for public comment six days before Christmas.

Senator Crossin said the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency had not tried to get any publicity to encourage public comment.

She said a Senate estimates hearing had been told by officers of the department responsible for the waste facility that an evaporation pond for run-off from radioactive containers would be needed in the compound.

"This would be especially concerning in an arid area where a pond would attract wildlife ranging from insects and lizards to birds, which form part of the bush tucker food chain."

She said the pond, a significant part of the dumps infrastructure is not shown on any diagrams, videos displayed at public meetings or on the dump or on the federal governments radioactive waste website.

The deadline for NT guidelines submissions is March 17.