WA Libs dig for votes with uranium mining
Mr Barnett said yesterday the Opposition would go to the September 6 election with a policy to export uranium to countries that were members of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The Labor Government tried yesterday to force Mr Barnett's hand on the issue, calling on the Opposition Leader to state which ports he would use for uranium exports.
The Australian Uranium Association has identified eight major uranium deposits in Western Australia, but Mr Barnett said he did not know which deposit would be appropriate to develop or where the ore would be shipped from.
The Labor Government, which opposes uranium mining but has never passed legislation to enforce its position, said Mr Barnett should identify the communities likely to have a uranium mine nearby.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said that under the Liberals' plan, towns such as Esperance, Fremantle, Broome, Wyndham, Dampier and Port Hedland could be picked as export points.
''Geraldton and other mid-west towns could be vulnerable to uranium ore being transported from deposits such as Yeelirie,'' Ms MacTiernan said.
Mr Barnett asked why Western Australia should not join South Australia and the Northern Territory in exporting uranium.
''There are significant uranium deposits in WA. I would hope that we would see a mine developed,'' he said.
''It's probably at least five years away, and it would be exported out of a port.''
He said Western Australia could mine the ore without having any responsibility for the waste from the nuclear process, as countries using nuclear power were responsible for storing the waste.
The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies congratulated Mr Barnett for committing the Liberals to their long-standing support of uranium mining and export, while the Australian Conservation Foundation said the risks far outweighed any claims for an expansion of uranium mining.