##uranium article - now w.a. being pressured, its

State 'should change on uranium'
August 05, 2005
From: AAP
WEST Australian Premier Geoff Gallop should stop playing politics on the issue of uranium mining and allow his electorate to benefit from the millions of dollars in potential royalties, Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane said today.

The Federal Government yesterday declared the Northern Territory open to uranium mining, taking control of the future of the territory's rich uranium deposits.
But Mr Macfarlane today admitted the Commonwealth was unable to intervene in Western Australia, where there was a ban on uranium mining but "six or seven billion dollars of known uranium deposits".

Dr Gallop has repeatedly refused to consider uranium mining in WA, and last month said his commonsense policy aimed to reduce the possibility of a terrorist incident involving a "horrific use of nuclear fuels".

"I can only urge the Gallop Government not to deny the communities of Western Australia, and Western Australia as a state, of hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties income from the six or seven billion dollars of known uranium deposits that are already there, plus what potentially could be developed with further exploration," Mr Macfarlane said.

He said there was no realistic basis for Dr Gallop's stance.

"He has just decided that on a political whim he will do that and tried to say that there's some risk from terrorism if they develop uranium mines," the minister said.
"Can I assure you that that is the biggest furphy that I have ever heard and in terms of the uranium mines that are already operating in Australia they are not terrorist targets and they are not in any way appealing to terrorists ...

"I just think that Geoff Gallop is playing politics and that is to the detriment of WA."

Mr Macfarlane's comments come after the NT Labor Government, vehemently opposed to uranium mining, walked away from any responsibility for new mines during a 15-minute meeting in Darwin yesterday.

He said the issue would have been better resolved if the NT had changed its policy but the commonwealth intervention would ensure companies who had entered into multi-million dollar exploration leases with the NT had the opportunity to develop resources, if found.

It would also ensure traditional owners did not miss out on millions of dollars in royalties that would flow from development of new uranium mines, Mr Macfarlane said.

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