'no uranium mining' in wa

Finance News

WA Govt stands by 'no uranium mining' policy
9:32 AM April 2

The West Australian Government is being asked to reconsider its approach to uranium mining as the Federal Government prepares to sign a major deal to supply the heavy metal to China.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Perth last night and will spend the day in the city before flying to Canberra, where he will meet Prime Minister John Howard.

The leaders are expected to sign a deal that would see China buy hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Australian uranium.

The Western Australian Government has a long-standing policy of opposing uranium mining but Federal Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane says the state is missing out and needs to rethink its policies.

Premier Alan Carpenter says there are plenty of other trade growth areas for Western Australia and he does not expect it to be an issue for Mr Wen.

"I don't believe that the uranium issue will be one of much importance in our discussion if it's raised at all," he said.

Mr Macfarlane does not expect this to affect negotiations.

He says Australia can supply significantly more uranium than it currently does, without Western Australia.

"But it does of course leave Western Australia out of the economic growth that will come out of that," he said.

"China will also be keen to ensure that it has a diversity of supply sources, so I think really what we need to see is a sensible approach by Western Australia to uranium exports."

Mr Carpenter has dismissed the comments.

"When we got elected one year ago, we got elected with policies that included no mining of uranium, the West Australian people elected us with that policy," he said.

"That's the policy we've got, everybody knows it and it's not changing."

He says Western Australia exports $8.6 billion worth of products to China annually and there is still enormous room for growth, both within and outside the resources sector.

"If we can capture a small percentage of the Chinese market in tourism education services, health services, environmental management, cultural exchanges then because of the size of China, that will mean huge benefits to the Western Australian economy," he said.

Mr Wen's decision to visit Western Australia was in response to a request by Mr Carpenter, who wants to discuss trade and investment opportunities with one of the most senior Chinese officials ever to visit the state.

Mr Wen will today visit Rio Tinto's $400 million hi-smelt plant in Kwinana and a Curtin University research facility.
Rights row

Mr Carpenter also says he does not believe the community will accuse him of being remiss by refusing to raise human rights issues with Mr Wen.

Greens MP Giz Watson says it is not good enough to take China's money and ignore its human rights abuses.

But Mr Carpenter says it is neither the time nor the place to raise the issue.

"I invited Premier Wen Jiabao here specifically to talk about economic issues, cultural exchanges, the development of trade relationships and he accepted my invitation on that basis," he said.

Mr Carpenter says there are forums on a federal level where other issues can be discussed.
Source: ABC