New Beverley Uranium Mining Spill

Kelvin Thomson - Shadow Assistant Treasurer

Media Statement - 3 May 2002

Reports today of a new uranium spill at the Beverley Uranium Mining in South Australia raise fresh concerns about the operational arrangements at the mine.

They come against the background of a spill of up to 60,000 litres of radioactive effluent in January this year and subsequent revelations of 20 previously unreported incidents at the mine since it commenced operation.

I understand that this spill involved some 7,000 litres and around 1kg of uranium, which was contained within the plant area.

Labor is concerned about the procession of accidents and incidents at this mine and also those, which have occurred at the Ranger Uranium Mine in the Northern Territory. Just a few days ago, uranium levels were reported at the monitoring point in Corridor Creek of close to 14,000 parts per billion, far in excess of anything reported previously and far in excess of the Australian Drinking Water Standard of 20 parts per billion.

If we are to safeguard our children's future, we must ensure that the highest possible standards of safety and environmental protection are in place at uranium mines.

It is therefore time we had a Senate Inquiry into the performance of the Ranger and Beverley Uranium mines, which would consider -

• The adequacy and effectiveness of the existing State, Territory and Commonwealth compliance regimes,
• How to better facilitate input from the traditional owners, and
• How to improve environmental performance and transparency of reporting through a Review of the Commonwealth Government's role.

The Howard Government has been happy to grant export licences to uranium mining companies, but takes no action to ensure they observe the highest possible standards of environmental protection, transparency and accountability.