FACTS have been ignored and the need to maintain confidence in the resources sector has been sacrificed by the new Queensland Labor Government’s pursuit of its backward looking, ideological policy on uranium mining.
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That’s the view of Shadow minister for state development and mines Andrew Cripps, who said an issues paper published by the South Australian Royal Commission into the Nuclear Fuel Cycle had exposed Labor’s dishonesty about the commercial future of uranium mining.
Mr Cripps said the Royal Commission’s first issues paper on exploration, extraction and milling of uranium, stated that international demand is primarily driven by electricity generation, with 395 nuclear power stations in operation around the world.
“It also states that more than 230 reactors are under construction or on the drawing board around the world and 200 of the current 395 stations will be decommissioned and need replacement in the next 25 years, fuelling future demand” said Mr Cripps.
“This exposes the untruthful statements from Labor in Queensland, most recently by new Mines Minister Anthony Lynham, that there is no future for uranium mining in this state because it won’t be commercial viable – this is clearly nonsense,” he said.
Mr Cripps also pointed to a scathing report in the April 2015 edition of industry publication Australian Mining, which describes the new Queensland Labor’s policy to reintroduce the ban on uranium mining as a ‘‘slap in the face’’ for the resources sector.
“This industry publication has stated that the new Labor Government’s policy to reintroduce the ban lacks transparency, created confusion and left the resources sector feeling as though the carpet has been pulled from beneath them,” Mr Cripps said.
“In calling on Labor to participate in a grown-up, informed discussion on uranium mining, the article summed up what many are thinking in the resources sector – why would you invest in Queensland when there is no stability in public policy?” he said.
Mr Cripps said it was now clear the new Queensland Labor Government’s arbitrary policy on uranium was going to cost Queensland, especially North West Queensland, new opportunities to diversify the resources sector and create new jobs.