Justin Tutty
The nuclear industry would be happy with PM John Howard's June 6 decision to appoint a task force to review uranium mining, processing and nuclear energy in Australia. Defending the composition of his pro-nuclear task force, he said, "You can't have an investigation into something as technical as this without having a number of people on it who are whiz-bang nuclear physicists, because it's a very complicated business and it's an area where laymen tread very carefully".
It appears that the PM has already decided that ecological impacts and community concern aren't relevant to the proposal for a major expansion of the nuclear industry in Australia.
The inquiry's terms of reference highlight the export potential of Australian uranium, delve into the future viability of nuclear power in this country, and propose the establishment of uranium enrichment. Some observers suggest that the inquiry is not about nuclear power, but about solidifying a fall-back position of massively expanded uranium exports, while deferring any decision on the more contentious proposals for building reactors.
However, anti-nuclear campaigners warn that nuclear fuel production is already well advanced.
A recent commercial agreement between US reactor builder General Electric (which is looking forward to a reported $40 billion windfall on the back of proposed nuclear trade with India) and the Australian research company Silex — based at the Lucas Heights site of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) — could allow for the Silex laser technology for nuclear fuel enrichment to go into production within three years. This, combined with Howard and US President George Bush's discussions about uranium leasing, could take Australia down the path of leasing enriched uranium to international customers, and taking back the nuclear waste to dump in outback Australia.
Former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski has been appointed as chairperson of the task force. He was an experimental nuclear physicist working at ANSTO and joined the ANSTO board last year. ANSTO is the federal nuclear science body that runs the research reactor program at Lucas Heights. It also houses the highly secretive Silex uranium enrichment project. ANSTO would benefit from any decision to embark upon commercial nuclear fuel production or nuclear power reactors in Australia.
Nuclear physicist Professor George Dracoulis from the Australian National University, who is recognised as a leader in the field of atomic nuclei research, has also been appointed. Dracoulis was quick to claim an open mind on the question of nuclear power. However, given he is a member of the reactor working group of the Australian Academy of Science, a strong supporter of the Lucas Heights program, this isn't convincing.
In this capacity, Dracoulis is associated with Jim Peacock, Howard's chief scientist, who will lead the peer review of the task force. While Howard insists that Peacock is a cleanskin, the latter made it clear upon his appointment last February that he is in favour of nuclear power.
Warwick McKibbin, an economist formerly at the ANU and now on the Reserve Bank board, is also on the force. He has argued against binding greenhouse targets but supports carbon taxes as a mechanism for making nuclear power more competitive with carbon-intensive energy production.
Federal treasurer Peter Costello has said that new taxes are not an issue, and environment minister Ian Campbell has labelled the proposal "stupid". Analysts suggest that without massive subsidies, nuclear power will be too expensive. This, together with statements from the PM, have led some to conclude that the government's objective is not to produce nuclear power, but rather go for nuclear fuel leasing based on a massive expansion of uranium mining, the establishment of enrichment plants and the imposition of a nuclear dump.
Arthur Johnston, another nuclear physicist, was a supervising scientist at Kakadu and entrusted with the difficult task of ensuring that the Ranger uranium mine was not seen to adversely impact on the surrounding Kakadu National Park. For the last six years, Johnson has told us that uranium mining in Kakadu is safe, and helped Energy Resources of Australia hide an endless stream of problems at the Ranger mine. Now he's going to tell us that nuclear power is safe, having already concluded that Australia should develop enrichment capacities to a commercial level.
Sylvia Kidziak brings experience in engineering, occupational health and nuclear safety. Formerly chairperson of Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency's (ARPANSA) nuclear safety committee, she is chairperson of the Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council (RHSAC), which includes Johnston, and advises John Loy, ARPANSA's CEO.
ARPANSA, a not-too-independent body, has overseen the development of the research reactor program at Lucas Heights. RHSAC is the body that has determined "acceptable limits" for human exposure to radioactive contamination — bureaucratic targets for pollution that institute an "acceptable" level of fatal cancers in the impacted population.
Martin Thomas is the chairperson of Dulhunty Power, which deals in products and services related to power distribution and transmission. This commercial interest is tied to the old model of centralised power production, and is antithetical to the evolving future of decentralised and diversified renewable energy sources. Dulhunty's business includes production in China, targeted for expanded uranium exports from Australia. Critics of nuclear trade with China point to its failure to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
Interestingly, an approach was made to Greg Bourne, the Australian head of the World Wide Fund for Nature. Bourne caused a stir in May when he was quoted in the Australian saying that since we're stuck with mining uranium, we should work out how to minimise the impacts. Environmental organisations were angry that his statement weakened the otherwise united opposition to the nuclear industry, and they re-issued a strong statement of opposition to every aspect of the nuclear industry. However, Bourne refused Howard's invitation, saying "this is really an inquiry about the nuclear industry, and it's about economics. It's not about the environment."
In a bizarre twist, Douglas Wood, the former Iraq hostage, has offered to take Bourne's place, saying Australia's been good to him and he wants to give something back. He claims 25 years' experience with nuclear power reactors, including the patchwork reconstruction at Chernobyl and the design of Australia's (failed) Jervis Bay reactor.
The review's terms of reference have been roundly criticised for a predetermined conclusion to massively expand uranium mining, develop commercial enrichment capacities and work towards nuclear power reactors. Notably, the unresolved problem of nuclear waste is not addressed.
Australian Conservation Foundation executive director Don Henry warned, "If the inquiry looks at the dirty, dangerous and slow option of nuclear power and ignores safe, clean and immediate solutions like renewables and energy efficiency, it will constitute a serious failure of leadership".
Howard claims that renewable energy technologies, while an inevitable feature of our future energy industries, are currently not economically viable. More than one industry representative has pointed out that the government should conduct a review on that before coming to such a definite conclusion.
Environment groups are proposing the following alternative terms of reference for the task force:
- What are the most effective policies to ensure we act early to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 60% by 2050, and by 20% by 2020?
- How do we dramatically cut energy waste and improve energy efficiency in Australia?
- How can we rapidly increase the uptake of clean and safe renewable energy, including solar, and establish Australia as a leading exporter of renewable energy technology?
- What more can be done to increase the deployment of low-emission energy technologies?
[Justin Tutty is a member of Darwin's No Waste Alliance.]
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, June 21 2006.
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