Australia’s policies continue to follow the bipartisan trend towards greater acceptance by the major political parties of the need for and value of mining and exporting uranium.
At the National Conference in April 2007, the federal Australian Labor Party abandoned its traditional opposition to the development of new uranium mines. The outcome of the decision was that the approval or prohibition of uranium mining is now a matter for each state. The Labour governments of South Australia and the Northern Territory are receptive to new uranium projects. The Liberal led coalition government of Western Australia supports the mining of uranium. Queensland remains the only state with significant uranium deposits to have maintained the status quo under which uranium mines are prohibited.
The Labor Party was elected to federal government in November 2007. Its policy is to encourage further development of the uranium industry. It has renewed funding for the Uranium Industry Framework and (in a time of sharply increased budgetary constraint) has committed $10.6 million over four years to develop its goals for the uranium industry.
Earlier this year, the Federal Resources Minister, The Hon Martin Ferguson, was quoted in the media as saying that uranium will play an important role in powering nuclear reactors in other countries wanting to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, that uranium has a bright future and that it is going to lead to increased export earnings for Australia and jobs. He went on to say that “Queensland and Western Australia, at a point, will fall into line. The uranium industry will open up.” Since that time, as predicted, Western Australia has reversed its policy and will now allow uranium mining.
