PRESS STATEMENT MINISTER FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY   SENATOR GARETH EVANS Q.C. 4 August 1986 73/86

FEDERAL MINISTER VISITS NT AND- SA RESOURCES PROJECTS

AND JOINT FACILITIES

The Federal Minister for Resources and Energy,  Senator   Evans,  will leave Canberra tomorrow morning for a four-day   visit to resources developments and (JS/Austr al ian Joint   ^Facilities in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Senator Evans will fly to the former missile test range at   Woomer a in South Australia tomorrow morning.  In his capacity as a member of the Security Committee of Cabinet   and Minister representing the Ministers for Defence and   Foreign Affairs in the Senate,  Senator Evans will inspect

tne nearby Nurrungar joint communications facility.

Later tomorrow Senator Evans will fly to the former   British atomic testing ground at Maralinga and will nave   talks with elders of the traditional Aboriginal owners,

the Maralinga Tjarutja. He will be accompanied by Mr Des   Davey,  who is the Chairman of the Technical Assessment

Group now advising the Government on site clean-up   operations.

On Wednesday,  Senator Evans will be accompanied by Mr Neil   Bell,  the Member for MacDonnell in the Northern Territory,

on inspections or the Mereenie oil field and Palm Valley   natural gas project west of Alice Springs. .

Senator Evans and Mr Bell will also visit the Hermannsberg   Aboriginal Mission on Wednesday afternoon,  before heading   to Alice Springs. .

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O n  T h u r s d a y  m o r n i n g , S e n a t o r  E v a n s  w i l l  be b r i e f e d  by

s e n i o r  US a n d  A u s t r a l i a n  o f f i c i a l s  an d  i n s p e c t  the P i n e   G a p  J o i n t  F a c i l i t y .

T h e  M i n i s t e r  w i l l  a l s o  v i s i t  the J o i n t  G e o l o g i c a l  and

G e o p h y s i c a l  R e s e a r c h  S t a t i o n  in A l i c e  S p r i n g s  on

T h u r s d a y .  T h e  r e s e a r o n  s t a t i o n  is m a n a g e d  j o i n t l y  by the   U n i t e d  S t a t e s  A i r  F o r c e  an d  the F e d e r a l  G o v e r n m e n t ' s   B u r e a u  of M i n e r a l  R e s o u r c e s .  It is o n e  of a n u m b e r  of

s p e c i a l  p u r p o s e  s e i s m i c  m o n i t o r i n g  s t a t i o n s  w h i c h  h a v e   b e e n  i n s t a l l e o  w o r l d  w i d e  to r e c o r d  d i s t u r b a n c e s  on or

b e l o w  the E a r t h ' s  s u r f a c e ,  l o c a t e  t h e i r  e p i c e n t r e s ,  and   d e t e r m i n e  w h e t n e r  tne d i s t u r b a n c e s  r e s u l t e d  f r o m  n a t u r a l

c a u s e s  or u n d e r g r o u n d  n u c l e a r  e x p l o s i o n s .

L a t e r  on T h u r s d a y  S e n a t o r  E v a n s  w i l l  fly to the A r g y l e   D i a m o n d  M i n e s  j o i n t  v e n t u r e  in th e  K i m b e r l e y s  r e g i o n  of

W e s t e r n  A u s t r a l i a  to i n s p e c t  the o p e r a t i o n s .

O n  F r i d a y ,  S e n a t o r  E v a n s  w i l l  v i s i t  the R u m  J u n g l e  f o r m e r   u r a n i u m  m i n e ,  8 0 k m  s o u t h  of D a r w i n ,  to v i e w  tne r e s u l t s  of

th e  four y e a r ,  $ 1 8 . 1  m i l l i o n  r e h a b i l i t a t i o n  p r o g r a m  n o w   c o m p l e t e d  at the site. T h e  r e h a b i l i t a t i o n ,  f u n d e d  by the

F e d e r a l  G o v e r n m e n t ,  is the f i r s t  e v e r  u n d e r t a k e n  on a   u r a n i u m  m i n e  in m o n s o o n a l  c l i m a t i c  c o n d i t i o n s .

In D a r w i n  S e n a t o r  E v a n s  w i l l  m e e t  w i t h  m e m b e r s  o f  the   N o r t h e r n  T e r r i t o r y  C h a m b e r  of M i n e s  a n d  the N o r t h e r n  L a n d   C o u n c i l .

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CANBERRA

