QUEENSLAND could be dotted with hidden deposits of low level radioactive waste if uranium was once again mined in the state, environmentalists have warned.
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The Newman coalition government has announced it’s ready to accept applications for uranium mining projects after ending a long-standing ‘‘ideological’’ ban imposed by the then-Labor regime in the 1980s.
The state’s reserves are estimated to be worth up to $18 billion, with most of that sourced in the North West, although green groups dispute the figures.
Mines Minister Andrew Cripps says uranium mining will be subject to a robust framework to ensure future mines meet the world’s best practice on environmental protection and safety standards.
Australian Conservation Foundation nuclear campaigner Dave Sweeney warned uranium mining had long lasting environmental impacts.
‘‘You’ve got large levels of radioactive waste which are kept in tailings dams which, at the end of the operation, are covered with a layer of clay and rock,’’ he said.
He also points to uranium prices, saying the market was ‘‘absolutely shredded’’ after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.
‘‘This is the worst time imaginable on a strictly economic basis to be giving the green light,’’ he said.
Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche estimates valued reserves at about $18 billion – which is higher than the government’s estimate of $10 billion – with demand for nuclear energy was set to rise over the next two decades.