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AUSTRALIA
I recently listened to Richard Broinowski, former Australian diplomat, describing Australia’s government policy makers as “illiterate about nuclear power”. I’m appalled to find out how true this is. As well as our Federal government’s schizoid attitude about uranium sales, and nuclear proliferation, we have today a very blatant example of ignorance, in South Australia granting approval for BHP to go ahead with a new and different type of uranium mining at Olympic Dam.
South Australia. The previous Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) applied to a new open cut mine, not the experimental heal leaching process, that BHP is now planning. That wasn’t even discussed in the EIS, but South Australia has still extended the Olympic Dam Indenture agreement, (which was always a bad deal for the State, anyway)
Fortunately, the economics of a new Olympic Dam uranium mine still do not stack up.
Northern Territory. Are some dirty deals going on here, between the NT government, and a panicky Federal Government? The Federal Government is panicking because the Aboriginal traditional owners might win their legal case against the planned Muckaty nuclear waste dump. NT’s Chief Minister Mills has met with Minister Martin Ferguson – cutting a deal in Canberra to the exclusion of the local community. Sounds like a half-baked plan to position the nuclear waste dump on some other part of Muckaty Station. All rather hush hush.
Queensland. Powerful Electrical trades Union has come out strongly against uranium mining, on the grounds of members’ health, saying that ‘Uranium will be the next asbestos.”.
New South Wales. Labor will oppose any move to allow uranium mining in that State, as stated at anti uranium protest rally at Parliament on 13 November. Broken Hill’s mayor expressed reservations on uranium mining “I don’t like uranium as it is because it causes a lot of cancer”
Federal: Energy White Paper acknowledged Australia’s need to shift to clean energy sources, and they didn’t include nuclear energy. That didn’t stop old Ziggy Spinowski coming out of the woodwork again, to declare nuclear energy as clean and predicting a rapid build of nuclear reactors in Australia, once it got started, Fukushima being just a “set-back”. Why the media keeps giving coverage to this snake oil salesman is beyond me.
Climate action. new hope for co-operative action with USA on climate change, as newly re-elected Obama states importance of acting on climate change.
ABC television showed “The Devil’s Dust” a truly brilliant documentary on the James Hardie company asbestos story – a tragedy that resulted from over 50 years of denial about the asbestos danger. Will uranium be the next?
INTERNATIONAL
Germany: in its first post-nuclear year – exported more energy than ever before
Japan. Huge sea wall being erected around biggest nuclear plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. Fish off Fukushima showing high levels. USA right wing pressuring Japan to keep nuclear power. Continuing battle with radiation. Fukushima nuclear plant: Worsening worker conditions. Tons of radioactive water lying around. Tokyo anti nuclear protest continue,but minimised by mainstream media.
UK. Continuing angst over who will pay for ever more expensive new nuclear plan.
USA. Congress to grapple with intractable problem of nuclear waste, or more likely, to put it in the too hard basket. High rates of systemic lupus erythematosus have been linked to living in proximity to a former uranium ore processing facility in Ohio.
South Korea’s nuclear export plans threatened, as nuclear scandals revealed forged safety documents.
France. 12 organisations join to help Niger, in its disastrous environmental legacy from AREVA’s uranum mining there.
India: The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) and People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) questioned the impartiality of IAEA investigation of a nuclear reactor, where 36 workers were exposed to radioactive leaks
Pakistan. “Nuclear rogue” A Q Khan enters politics.