Australia eyes Uranium Enrichment Program Sign of the Times 25-05-2006

[Bert]

It is reported hear that Australia has currently no Nuclear Reactors but this is not the case. There has been a Nuclear Reactor at Sydneys Lucus Heights for years and talk of building a second one as indicated in this following artical.

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2005/12/101149_comment.php

Protest Against Approval of Second Reactor for Sydney
by Tongmaster Thursday December 08, 2005 at 12:42 PM

At 8:30 this morning, approximately 30 protestors gathered outside the Masonic Centre on Goulbourn St, prior to the commission meeting to deliberate over whether or not to approve a licence to the second reactor at Lucus Heights.

The protest comes on top of breaking news that tonnes of Australian nuclear waste, currently stored in France, needs to be returned to Australia. A situation which neatly fits in with the Howard Governments current attempts to introduce laws that will allow it to dump waste in the Northern Territory, despite local and national opposition.

Some of the protesters expressed concern that the Howard government was not listening to the wishes of the Australian population as well as medical professionals who have warned against expanding the nuclear industry: Radioactive waste from nuclear power plants cannot be dealt with in a safe and effective way, a group of eminent doctors has warned.

 

[Ruth]

The nuclear plant debate is rather current at the moment. It appears nobody is particularly keen to have one 'in their backyard'.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1646553.htm

Premiers line up to reject nuclear plant
Premiers of eastern states have rejected any moves to build a nuclear power plant in their state, after a report released yesterday on likely sites.

The Australia Institute suggests several sites along the east coast which it says would be ideal for a nuclear power plant, if Australia moves in that direction.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says he will fight "tooth and nail" any move to build a nuclear power plant in Queensland.

Mr Beattie has told State Parliament the Australian Institute has suggested a power plant could be well placed on the Sunshine Coast.

"Over my dead body," he said.

"I make this commitment today to the people of the Sunshine Coast, there will be no nuclear power plant built on the Sunshine Coast or Bribie Island, where it was suggested Bribie Island was one of the sites, or anywhere else," he said.

"It will not happen."

New South Wales

The New South Wales Premier, Morris Iemma, says there is legislation banning the construction of nuclear power plants in his state.

The Prime Minister, John Howard, has said he wants a "full blooded" discussion about the nuclear industry in Australia.

Mr Iemma says the current debate is pure politics.

He says the Prime Minister should take advice from his own ministers, who say the idea is not viable.

Victoria

Premier Steve Bracks says nuclear energy is not a viable option for Victoria.

"It's not cost competitive," he said.

"If you look at the cost of nuclear generation in this state, it is higher than gas, it's higher certainly than coal, it's higher certainly than other forms of renewable energy."

WA dump

The Western Australian Premier, Alan Carpenter, says the Federal Government's real agenda on a nuclear waste dump for his state is becoming clearer by the day.

Mr Carpenter has seized on comments by the federal Member for Kalgoorlie, Barry Haase.

Mr Haase has been reported as saying that Australia should consider storing high level radioactive waste and that it would be able to "charge like a wounded bull" for those services.

Mr Carpenter says it is becoming quite obvious the Federal Government is trying to soften up Western Australians for a nuclear waste dump.

He says it will never happen under his watch.

"Why would I, as the Premier of Western Australia, with my kids growing up in this state, want to see Western Australia become the world's nuclear waste dump, because no one else wants to take it and we're offered a big pile of money to take all that waste?" he said.

"We don't need to do it."

Maybe they should just put one in Canberra and 'fix' the problem. Right under the houses of parliament seems like a reasonable place to me.