Federal Parliament’s examination of the planned uranium sales deal with India moves to Melbourne today with the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties taking evidence from groups concerned about security, safety and environmental aspects of the controversial plan.
Independent security analysts and representatives of the Uniting Church will join national environment groups Friends of the Earth and the Australian Conservation Foundation to highlight concerns over the contested sales plan.
“Providing Australian uranium to India will increase nuclear insecurity and risk,” said ACF nuclear free campaigner Dave Sweeney.
“Selling uranium to India conflicts with long standing Australian international treaty obligations.”
The proposed sales deal has been widely condemned as deficient by many observers, including senior – and pro-nuclear – industry analysts and commentators.
“Australian uranium directly fuelled the continuing Fukushima nuclear crisis,” Dave Sweeney said.
“It seems Australian uranium miners and their political allies have not learned from Australia’s involvement in Fukushima, as they continue to give priority to the promise of the dollar sign and ignore the reality of the danger sign.
“This this planned sales deal is risky and irresponsible; it should not proceed.”
