Senator Christine Milne



National nanotechnology report must be released to public: Greens



Senator Milne, 15th June 2006

The Australian Greens today called on Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane to guarantee  he will release to the public the report of the National Nanotechnology Strategy  Taskforce.

"The report will be completed by 30 June 2006 but there has been no commitment  from the Minister to release the report publicly, and very little information disclosed  about its content," Australian Greens science spokesperson Senator Christine Milne  said in Canberra.

Several groups in the community, including the Australian Consumers'   Association, the Public Health Association of Australia, Friends of the Earth, the  GeneEthics Network and the Biological Farmers of Australia, have criticised the

taskforce's failure to provide adequate opportunities for public participation.

"The emerging field of nanotechnology introduces serious new risks for human health  and the environment," Senator Milne said. "Nanotechnology also raises significant  ethical issues and has the potential to result in large-scale socio-economic disruption.

"I am concerned that the development of the National Nanotechnology Strategy  Taskforce report has been driven by the interests of the business and research  communities, without adequate public participation, and that the report may not even  be released publicly.

"Hundreds of consumer products containing nanoparticles are already available,  including cosmetics, sunscreens, food products, fabrics and paints. Many thousands of  workers are already facing occupational exposure to nanoparticles.

"Farmers also face the prospect of atomically engineered food crops, and the  expansion of markets for novel nanomaterials may adversely affect key Australian  export markets, for example cotton."

"The government must tell the public how it will assess and manage the new risks to  health and the environment that nanoparticles pose, and the broader ethical issues and  socio-economic impacts.

"At this critical stage in Australia's development of a nanotechnology strategy, it is  essential that the public have the opportunity to participate fully. Minister Macfarlane  must give a commitment to release the report and guarantee full public participation in  the next phase of developing the strategy."

Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at the scale of atoms and  molecules. It is a 'platform' technology that proponents suggest will impact all sectors  of industry, bringing changes as great as the European Industrial Revolution.





Contact: Katrina Willis 03 6234 4566 or 0437 587 562

