new uranium policy

"South Australian Premier Mike Rann has vowed to continue to lobby his Labor colleagues right up until the party's national convention next week to overturn the ALP's no new uranium mines policy.

Mr Rann said he still believed the policy was outdated and illogical and it was time for it to be abandoned.

"I cannot think of anything more important politically, symbolically and economically for the whole resources sector than to see this illogical and outdated policy ended," Mr Rann told the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) conference.

"I plan to talk, face to face, with as many delegates as I possibly can in the coming week.

"I will carry out shuttle diplomacy in order to make my position crystal clear."

Mr Rann said over the past 25 years Australia's exports of uranium had trebled, so clearly the policy had not stopped the expansion of the industry.

But he said it did stand in the way of further development of South Australia's huge potential (to develop new uranium mines).

Mr Rann has also pledged to continue to work to make South Australia a more attractive place for petroleum and mining exploration.

He said the state was currently the fourth most attractive place in the world for exploration investment, up from 36th five years ago.

Over the same period, the premier said, the value of mining exploration had jumped from $30 million a year to $190 million.

In the petroleum sector, exploration had jumped by 56 per cent in 2006 to almost $146 million.

"We in South Australia are determined to make this an even more attractive and competitive place in which to do business," Mr Rann said."