westmoon, page-14

re: there be olympians here captain ! From another forum, thanks apache123

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,15417532%255E462,00.html

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Uranium push grows
By Katharine Murphy
27may05

THE Howard Government has told the states to approve more uranium mining as Australia's minerals giants prepare a new push to scrap state bans prohibiting yellowcake mining.

Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane told The Australian yesterday the current policy governing uranium mining and exploration was not promoting sufficient investment and development because there was no national co-ordination.

"At a time when export prices are off the charts and we need the exploration dollars, potential investors must look at a jurisdictional map of Australia and think it's all too hard and confusing," Mr Macfarlane said yesterday.

"Canada has a more cohesive national approach to the industry and as a result they produce 29 per cent of the world's uranium from just 17per cent of the world's deposits," he said.

"By contrast, Australia has 41 per cent of the world's deposits but produces only 21 per cent of world demand."

The patchwork of regulations in Australia means that uranium mining occurs only in the Northern Territory and South Australia.

Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria ban nuclear activities within their jurisdictions, including uranium mining. Canberra controls export licences and safeguard policies.

There is no uniform policy approach which would allow Australia's low-cost deposits to be exploited in the current global resources boom.

The Industry Minister's warning to the states comes as the Minerals Council of Australia prepares to use a parliamentary inquiry into the development of the non-fossil fuel energy industry in Australia to argue that bans on uranium exploration and mining should be scrapped.

The MCA's new strike follows rising support for the uranium industry among senior ministers in the Howard Government, and signs of a significant shift in sections of the Labor Party away from the ALP's 20-year-old three-mines policy.

South Australian Premier Mike Rann has supported ending the three-mines policy and federal Labor's resources spokesman, Martin Ferguson, has publicly backed the Howard Government's efforts to negotiate an export treaty with China to allow Australian uranium to be shipped for civilian use.

The Minerals Council has called for the Council of Australian Governments to play a greater role in achieving uniformity across state boundaries and to create common regulations between jurisdictions.

"The suggestions that there should be artificial limits on the number of uranium mines are nonsensical, not least because there are no limits on the size of existing mines," the MCA's chief executive Mitch Hooke said.