Garrett approves new uranium mine

Australia is to get a new uranium mine - courtesy of former anti-nuclear campaigner
Peter Garrett.
The federal environment minister has approved the country's fourth uranium mine, to
be built in South Australia's northeast.
Mr Garrett sang against the nuclear industry in his days as Midnight Oil frontman.
Now he's sure the new Four Mile mine "poses no credible risk to the environment".
Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt, who supports uranium mining, attacked Mr
Garrett for his backflip on the issue.
"The promises Peter Garrett chose to make on uranium mining stand for nothing - and
nor does he, any longer," Mr Hunt said.
Mr Garrett said it had been a difficult decision to approve the mine but it was
right for him to abide by Labor's policy, which allows for an expansion of uranium
mining.
"The values that I had before entering parliament I hold dear," Mr Garrett said.
"(But) the government has made a decision ... on this matter, which I fully accept."
Mr Garrett said there had been a thorough assessment of the proposed mine, and it
would be subject to strict conditions.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the Labor Party had publicly changed its policy on
uranium mining back in 2007, when the "no-new-mines" policy was dropped.
"It couldn't be more transparent than that," Mr Rudd told ABC Radio.
When asked why he didn't allow a domestic nuclear power industry, Mr Rudd said
renewable energy and cleaner-coal technology was the best way for Australia to
tackle climate change.
David Noonan, the nuclear-free campaigner with the Australian Conservation
Foundation (ACF), said the new mine's chemical and radioactive waste would leach
into the groundwater.
"We find it entirely unacceptable for the environment to be treated in this way," he
said.
When asked about the role of Mr Garrett, a former president of the ACF, Mr Noonan
said: "It's not a matter of individuals."
The Australian Uranium Association welcomed the mine and said it would help tackle
climate change when production begins next year.
"Uranium is a product which helps the country generate low-carbon electricity,
through nuclear energy," said the association's communications director Simon
Clarke.
The approval of the mine showed Australia had world's-best-practice standards for
uranium mining, he said.
Australia's exports of uranium oxide are worth $900 million a year.
The new mine, which will be close to the Beverley uranium mine, is a joint venture
of Alliance Resources Limited and Quasar Resources Pty Ltd.
South Australia's Minister for Mineral Resources Development Paul Holloway said the
mine would create 130 jobs during construction.
"This decision will allow this region of the state to continue to supply uranium for
several decades to come," he said.
Veteran anti-nuclear campaigner Helen Caldicott accused Mr Garrett of a "descent
into moral turpitude".
She said the practice to be used at the mine, which involved pumping sulphuric acid
into the uranium ore to dissolve the radioactive materials, was dangerous.
The mine was close to precious underground water stores, and the radioactive waste
would be active for up to a million years, Dr Caldicott said.