LABOR candidate for Mount Isa Simon Tayler says he is ready to stand up to his party’s anti-uranium policy in a bid to help generate thousands of jobs for the North West.
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Despite “respecting” Labor’s policy on a uranium ban, Mr Tayler said he wasn’t afraid to lobby for the industry to benefit his electorate.
‘‘I am a supporter of uranium mining, but I also respect the Labor Party’s policy,” he said.
‘‘That does not mean I will stop being an advocate for the industry.
‘‘Unlike the LNP, which effectively forced out people like former assistant minister Dr Chris Davis for having a different view, the Labor Party is comfortable with internal debate.
‘‘In any political party there are people working to advocate different policies and if elected on 31 January, I will be doing just that.”
Uranium mining is being held up as the white hope by many leaders for the resources sector in the North West.
There are rich deposits of uranium at the Valhalla Mine near Mount Isa, and the Westmoreland deposit in the Gulf of Carpentaria, which are expected to provide about 300 jobs each when mines are developed.
Laramide Resources chief operating officer Bryn Jones said the company’s Westmoreland deposit in the Gulf was tracking towards a 2018 start and late last year dismissed figures by Labor that uranium mining would create “just 150 jobs in Queensland”.
Mr Jones said thousands of jobs would be created in the construction phase at Westmoreland and between 150 and 200 jobs when the mine was operating.