AUSTRALIA « nuclear-news

Despite its own committee’s warnings, Australian govt quietly does uranium deal with Russia

Joint Standing Committee of Treaties (JSCOT) pointed out that uranium sales to Russia should not proceed unless significant security measures were addressed. Few if any of these measures have been addressed since then.

it seems to be just another case of “business as usual” in Australian politics, in which our country’s resources are sold off to the highest bidder, regardless of the dangerous impacts such sales add to geo-regional security.

New Risks from Australia Russia Uranium Deal – On Line Opinion – By James Norman 19/11/2010 Late last week on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in South Korea, Prime Minister Julia Gillard ratified a deal with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that should send shockwaves through the Australian electorate. Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, politics international | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, uranium | Leave a comment

BHP Billiton uranium company to be questioned over radioactive waste dumping plans

BHP Billiton boss faces a grilling (at its Annual General meeting, Perth Australia, 16 Nov) Sydney Morning Herald, Mathew MurphyNovember 15, 2010 “……The Australian Conservation Foundation is also expected to attack BHP over its $20 billion expansion plans for Olympic Dam, the world’s largest uranium deposit.ACF nuclear free campaigner David Noonan said the group will ask the BHP board if the new open-pit mine is only considered economic because it is designed to leak up to 8 million litres of radioactive waste a day.

”This company plans to dump rather than to dispose of their radioactive wastes, and do not intend to rehabilitate the proposed open pit, intending instead to leave a toxic lake as a permanent scar on the landscape,” he said. …..BHP boss faces a grilling

November 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, wastes | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Australia’s hypocritical and unsafe uranium deal with Russia

“Australia cannot hope to be a leader on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament while spreading nuclear risks by trying to become the world’s largest uranium supplier,”

Activists Blast Russian-Australian Uranium Deal, NTI: Global Security Newswire , Nov. 12, 2010 * Activists have sharply criticized a new Russian-Australian uranium export agreement, partly over concerns that nuclear material sent to Russia under the deal could be diverted for weapons production, the Australian Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Nov. 11). Continue reading →

November 12, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, politics international, Uranium | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, uranium | 1 Comment

Hillary Clinton in Australia faced no hard nuclear questions from a self-censored forum

Here, then, are the questions that weren’t asked of Hillary Clinton, but at least a couple of which should have been: lf the primary justification is ”regional security”, why should Australia agree to even greater military ties with the US when it will make us more of a potential target for terrorism?

Questions Hillary wasn’t asked on her date with Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, Hamish FordNovember 10, 2010 – “………Even closer military and political ties mark the latest hotting up of an old but seriously unequal love story….

..Throughout, no one challenged Clinton on the purpose or impact of her nation’s unprecedented global power. It beggars belief that your average room of youngish university folk wouldn’t contain at least some who were capable and willing of sterner stuff…. Continue reading →

November 10, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, spinbuster | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation | Leave a comment

Australia’s new big role in USA’s military strategy

the Australian development is part of a new U.S. strategy to step up its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, after reviews of strategic policy concluded that the U.S. government’s attempts to project power from North America were not working.

Australia, U.S. agree to major escalation of military co-operation 06 November 2010 FOCUS News Agency Canberra. Australia has agreed to a major escalation of military co-operation with the U.S., Xinhua informed. According to The Weekend Australian newspaper, the move will include more visits by American ships, aircraft and troops and their forces exercising. Continue reading →

November 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, weapons and war | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Barack Obama less keen on climate change action, more keen on nuclear power

Leader cools on climate agenda * Brad Norington, The Australian * November 05, 2010 BARACK Obama has suddenly dumped his ambitious agenda to combat climate change with legislation imposing limits on greenhouse gases……. Continue reading →

November 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, climate change | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, climate change, global warming, nuclear spin | Leave a comment

USA quietly getting Australia deeply into its military machine

The facility will play a major role in an emerging Cold War in space.

WA joins space race, The Age, October 30, 2010 – Australia will become a key partner in the international battle for space supremacy, with Western Australia to host a new multimillion-dollar US defence base Continue reading →

October 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, weapons and war | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Australian state of Victoria will keep ban on nuclear power

Parties agree Victoria will remain nuclear-free state, The Age, RICHARD WILLINGHAM, October 20, 2010 VICTORIA will remain a nuclear-free state, regardless of who wins next month’s state election. Nuclear power is not needed in Victoria because it is expensive, dangerous and obsolete given the state’s abundance of energy options, say Premier John Brumby and Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu. Continue reading →

October 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, politics | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear costs, renewable energy | Leave a comment

BHP Billiton calls for carbon price – in order to promote its uranium mining

BHP has an interesting little asset called Olympic Dam in South Australia where it is considering a major series of upgrades. Expanded Olympic Dam output would exceed one quarter of global mined uranium. …..Olympic Dam is the world’s largest known uranium deposit,

BHP: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? The Star, by Mark Taylor | 15 Oct 10 Why would BHP BHP CEO Marius Kloppers express support for a carbon tax? The mining industry has its fair share of climate skeptics. Geologists and model-based climatologists have very different views of the world. Does BHP stand to gain or lose from a carbon tax? Continue reading →

October 16, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, spinbuster, Uranium | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, uranium | Leave a comment

Paladin and Cameco’s plans for uranium mine foiled by Australia’s Northern Territory govt

NT reversal cruels U-hopefuls’ plans TradingMarkets.com, 29 Sep 2010 –Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson has withdrawn support for Cameco Corporation’s and Paladin Energy’s proposed uranium mine near Alice Springs. The announcement came just two years after Cameco and Paladin won developmentrights for the Angela Pamela project and two weeks before a local by-election in the seat of Alice Springs.

NT reversal cruels U-hopefuls’ plans | TradingMarkets.com

September 30, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, politics | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear costs, uranium | Leave a comment

Australian Greens take Aboriginals’ anti nuclear cause to Parliament

“We are the Aboriginal people who own the land and the dreamings you are talking about, we are asking that you reject this bill and scrap Muckaty as a site for the waste dump.”

Greens urge rethink of nuclear dump site – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Megan Lewis Sep 29, 2010 The Greens have urged the Federal Government to scrap plans to build a nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory…… Continue reading →

September 30, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, politics | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Government opposition to Cameco uranium mine in Australia’s Northern Territory

The project has been strongly opposed by environmentalists, who say it could pollute underground water. Chief Minister Paul Henderson says there is strong community opposition to the mine and Labor is listening to the concerns…….

Government opposes Alice uranium mine ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 28 Sept 10, The Northern Territory Government has decided to oppose moves to establish a uranium mine on the Angela Pamela deposit near Alice Springs. Continue reading →

September 28, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, politics | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, radiation, uranium, water | Leave a comment

International church group slams Australia’s Aboriginal Intervention

“The Intervention has taken control of the lives of Aboriginal peoples through such measures as compulsory income management and compulsory acquisition of leases over Aboriginal land.

“The Labor Government has continued the Intervention which remains a blight on Australia’s reputation.”

Territory shame The Catholic Leader: : 26 September 2010By: Paul Dobbyn AUSTRALIA’S “shameful treatment” of indigenous people in remote Northern Territory communities has been exposed during a six-day fact-finding mission by local and international visitors, Continue reading →

September 23, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, indigenous issues | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, indigenous | Leave a comment

Western Australia’s sham uranium safety study panel

Sitting on the panel are pro-nuclear lobbyists and behind the scenes are corporate sponsors including some that are anything but independent.

BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are two of the sponsors – companies with operating uranium mines in Australia and uranium interests in WA.

Uranium industry’s record raises doubts, The West Australian, By Mia Pepper September 16th, 2010, The Barnett Government recently announced that the Australian Centre for Geomechanics had won a tender to form an “independent panel on uranium mining regulations”. Continue reading →

September 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, spinbuster | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Secret plan to betray Australian Aboriginal’s wishes after his death

Mr Lee, the sole member of the Djok clan, is not interested in the money from mining royalties and wants the land protected.

But an email between Opposition MLAs suggests making the land a reserve so it could be mined, against Mr Lee’s wishes, after his death.

CLP digs up new uranium policy | Northern Territory News | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | ntnews.com.au, BEN LANGFORDSeptember 16th, 2010 PLOTTING is afoot within the Territory Opposition to change its policy on uranium mining at Koongarra, a leaked email shows.

Traditional owner Jeffrey Lee has offered his land for inclusion in Kakadu National Park [in order to save it from uranium mining]and the offer was accepted by the Federal Government.

This blocked plans by French nuclear giant Areva to mine the 14,000 tonnes of uranium at the Koongarra site, 3km south of Kakadu’s iconic Nourlangie Rock. Continue reading →

September 16, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | antinuclear, AREVA, indigenous, nuclear secrecy, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment