*,PRE3S STATEMENT BY TOM UREN, MP ------------------------- . --------------------------------- : ----------------------ÃÂ —

On the eve of the Prime Minister's- return from the Philippines and  Indonesia, Labor frontbencher Tom Uren has strongly condemned the  reported actions of the Prime Minister in giving written assurances to  President Marcos that Australia would provide long term uranium supplies

1  on reasonable terms and conditions' to the Philippines Government.

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Apart fromJ^sheer irresponsibility and immorality of this action, Mr. Uren said that both the Prime Minister and President Marcos know that  long term supplies of Australian uranium cannot be guaranteed.

This is because of widespread opposition to uranium mining within  Australia and the ALP's firm commitment to prevent uranium mining and  to repudiate uranium commitments made by non-Labor Governments.

Mr. Uren listed the many distinct problems of the first Philippines  reactor, due to commence operation in 1983:

*the Philippines is probably the most geologically unstable country  on earth; .

* the proposed reactor site has been affected by earthquakes, tidal  waves and volcanic eruptions within the last 15 years (half the life of  a reactor)" .  There are 5 volcanoes in the vicinity; 4 of them are  classified Â· Ã¢ÂÂ  : Ã¢ÂÂ   .as active and the lava flow of one of them is within 2  miles of the site. According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

all volcanic hazards are possible at the site. These range from ash  fall to earthquakes.  Ash fall alone could clog filters and cooling ponds  and create havoc with the reactor's complex machinery. .

* -the site is 10 miles from the Subic Bay US Military Base, one of  the major, military targets in Asia. The US Navy's Seventh Fleet here  stores 110 million gallons of diesel oil, 1.7 million gallons of jet  fuel and ammunition for 20 surface warships, 2 aircraft carriers and the  200 warplanes assigned to the 2 carriers (Washington Post, p.l, 8/2/1978)

.  * the US Union of Concerned Scientists has warned President Marcos  of 200 major technical problems with the 600 Megawatt Westinghouse  reactor,, which uses technology never tested in the U.S. or anywhere  else..  -According to A.S. Friedman, Director, Division of International .   Programs of the (then) Atomic Energy Commission*”... at times design .

innovations are first tried by U.S. manufacturers in overseas reactors".

* the Philippines Atomic Energy.Commission, recognising its  country's geological instability, has said it cannot provide for long  term storage of the wastes from the reactor. .

* Australia has apparently won the competition to supply uranium to the Philippines' against Canada which has explicitly indicated its  readiness to take back the high level wastes from the Philippines . reactor. This begs the question :

What does the Fraser Government believe will happen to the  Philippines' nuclear garbage? .

.  and .

Has the Fraser Government made any offers to counteract those  of its Canadian competitors?

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* the Philippines reactor has been surrounded by allegations  of corruption and commercial irresponsibility. At the Manila end of  the deal, a relative of the Marcos family, a Mr Herminio-Disini, has  allegedly received $35 million to clinch the deal for Westinghouse,

for which he is the.agent. Through his companies, he is the construction  contractor and insurer for the project. In the U.S. numerous commercial  irregularities have been identified in the arrangements between . Westirighorise and the Export-Import Bank which is contracted to loan

$644 million for the proposed reactor (its largest ever loan).

* the project's costs have skyrocketed to $1.1 billion. This .   is three to four times more than is spent in the Philippines on  agriculture, arid is grossly irresponsible in a country where more  than 30% of children under 6 years are severely malnourished.

.  * the people in the immediate vicinity (11,000 of them) have already been severely affected by the project; construction work  has already caused a 95% drop in the fish harvest of villagers near  the site. Land has been appropriated without compensation. Both

construction workers (who are paid 16 cents an hour) and local villagers  who oppose the project are brutally repressed. Despite this, 50,000  people, have signed a protest petition to President Marcos. Appeals  for international assistance and solidarity have been made by local

people. (Here in Australia, the whole project has been opposed by . the Australian Council of Churches, Action for World Development and  the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, amongst others.)

* the reactor is not to serve the Philippino people, where . only 5% of homes have electricity. It is to serve the Bataan Free  Trade Zone, and the two large military installations in the vicinity.

Mr Uren also drew attention to the political instability in the  Philippines.  ;  .  .  .

Given the. fears of nuclear material falling into the hands of  terrorists, it must."be said that President Marcos is little more  than a terrorist himself. .  .  .

He has been ableÂ· :to sieze and maintain tower, by repressive means.;

Since he declared martial law in 1972, he has kept his power by  jailing 60,000 political prisoners. .  .

A nuclear, reactor will give the Marcos regime a nuclear fuel core  which can easily become the basis for a nuclear weapons program.

So-called safeguards and agreements will mean little to a regime  which both faces strong internal opposition and asserts regional  territorial claims against Vietnam, China and, more recently, Malaysia.

Looking 30 years into the future, it seems inevitable that the Marcos'  regime will fall (before or after Marcos' own death).

How then does the Fraser Government envisage its flimsy 'safeguards'  will fare? '

The Fraser Government's irresponsibility was demonstrated late last  year by Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Sinclair's answer to my  question on notice (No. 2283).at that time. Mr Sinclair said then that ;

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’’  "The Government necessarily has to use its judgement, however, on the need  . . . Â· / Ã¢ÂÂ   to avoid actions which might lead to accusations of undue interference  '  Ã¢ÂÂ   in the affairs of another country".

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On 11 May 1978, the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Anthony,  refused to  givethe'Parliament a categorical assurance that nuclear waste from  the proposed Philippines reactor would not be stored in Australia, .   if Australian uranium was supplied to fuel that reactor.  '

Mr Anthony also, attacked the Opposition Leader, Bill Hayden, for  His (Mr Hayden's) responsible warning to the Philippines that a future  Labor Government was bound to cancel uranium export contracts . ( 21 June 19 78) .

The Fraser Government has allowed sales contracts to be signed before  its. unenforceable safeguards agreements have been signed. -All or the above events clearly show the irresponsibility of the  Government's uranium policies and the bankrupt nature of the

Prime Minister’s reported assurances to President Marcos.

.  Mr Ur.en said that ALP policy on uranium, showed proper concern and responsibility. .  .  Â·

.  . . Â· \  Ke repeated the warning that Labor would repudiate uranium contracts  entered into by a non-Labor Government.

'  Hr';Â·;' .  CANBERRA.

13 MAY 19 79

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