P R E S S  R E L E A S E

P.R. NO. 83/165  CANBERRA

7 SEPTEMBER 1983

THE SENATE

1 & 8

AUSTRALIAN URANIUM SHOULD STAY IN THE GROUND: DEMOCRATS

Attached is a copy of Senator Chipp's speech to be given

during the Urgency Debate on uranium developments in the  Senate this afternoon.

It refutes the claim that Australia has to continue the  uranium industry.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DAVID CAMPBELL 72 7328

URGENCY DEBATE September 7, 1983

TOPIC: "The continuation of responsible development Of

Australia's uranium resources is in the best

interests of this country and the world"

Th i s  d e b a t e  i s  v e r y w e l c o m e . No i s s u e  i s  more im p o r t a n t

THAN THAT OF URANIUM AND NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION.

The s t a t e m e n t s  e x p r e s s e d  b y Senator Ra e , an d r e g r e t t a b l y

THE SLOWLY EVOLVING ALP PRO-URANIUM POLICY, ARE BASED ON

THREE ASSUMPTIONS:

1 . Tha t t h e n u c l e a r  t e c h n o l o g y  i s  d e s i g n e d  for p e a c e f u l

USES.

2 .  Tha t t h e world i s  " e n e r g y h u n g r y" and c a n n o t s u r v iv e

WITHOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY.

3 . Th a t to a v o i d  t h e p r o l i f e r a t i o n  of n u c l e a r  weapons

WE HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE MINING AND SELLING OF

URANIUM-Â» Â·

I WILL DEMONSTRATE. THAT THOSE THREE ASSUMPTIONS ARE

COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY FALSE.

1. "THE PEACEFUL ATOM"

The f a c t i s  t h a t n u c l e a r  w eapons can o n ly be p r o d u c ed  from

URANIUM,OR ITS BY-PRODUCT, PLUTONIUM.

. .  , /2

L .

The f i r s t  a t o m ic bomb was e x p l o d e d i n  1 9 4 5 , Ye t t h e f i r s t

REACTOR TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY FOR C IV IL IA N  USE WAS THAT

a t Ca l d e r Ha l l i n  Gr e a t Br i t a i n  i n  1 9 5 3 .

Ye t,  Ca l d e r Ha l l was b u i l t  s p e c i f i c a l l y  for t h e p r o d u c t io n

OF PLUTONIUM FOR B R IT A IN 'S  NUCLEAR WEAPONS. .

A REPORT BY THE PENTAGON TO PRESIDENT JOHNSON IN 1 9 6 5  STATED:

" The world i s  f a s t a p p r o a c h in g  a p o i n t  of

NO RETURN IN THE PROSPECT OF CONTROLLING NUCLEAR

. WEAPONS.. . . "

Why d i d  ÃÂ³ ÃÂ  c o n c l u d e t h i s ? . . .  i t  w ent on

"At o m i c power programmes ar e p l a c i n g  w i t h i n  t h e

HANDS OF MANY NATIONS MUCH OF THE KNOWLEDGE, ,

EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL FOR MAKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS."

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NUCLEAR POWER AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS

WAS AND IS VERY CLEAR TO THOSE AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS.

Those n a t i o n s  t h a t h a v e,  or p l a n to ha ve n u c l e a r w eapons

i n c l u d e I s r a e l,  So u t h Af r i c a ,  Pa k i s t a n , I n d i a , So u t h Ko r e a,

Ta iw a n a n d Ar g e n t i n a . They h a v e got i t  from s o- c a l l e d

C IV IL IA N  POWER PLANTS AND ENRICHMENT F A C IL IT IE S  -  FUELLED BY

URANIUM. They h a v e a c q u ir e d  t h e p o t e n t i a l  d e s p i t e

INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS.

. . , /3

3 .

Take I n d ia  for example -

I t exploded a nuclear weapon on May 18, 1974. W here d id  it

GET THE A B IL IT Y  TO DO SO? FROM A REACTOR AND URANIUM

PROVIDED BY CANADA AND THE U. S. ;  INTENDED FOR "PEACEFUL

PURPOSES".

2. "DEMAND FOR ENERGY"

The seco nd g reat a s s u m p t io n  i s  t h a t t h e world i s  so hungry

FOR ENERGY THAT UNLESS WE USE NUCLEAR ENERGY WE WILL ALL BE

CONDEMNED TO AN IMPOVERISHED L IF E , PARTICULARLY IF  YOU LIVE

i n  t h e Th i r d  Wo r l d .

Th i s  i s  j u s t  not t h e c a s e .

Nu c le a r e n er g y p r o v id e s  o n l y 9-10%  of t h e w o r l d' s e n e r g y .

For t h o s e i n  l e s s d e v e l o p e d  c o u n t r ie s  i t  i s  e s t im a t e d  by

t h e I n t e r n a t io n a l  At o m ic  Ener gy Agency t h a t i t  w i l l  c o n t r ib u t e

LESS THAN 5% OF THEIR ENERGY NEEDS BY 1 9 9 0 j AND IN CAPITAL

c i t i e s  o n l y ____ Ma n i l l a , Ja k a r t a . . . . does an yo n e b e l i e v e  th o se

REGIMES WILL ALLOW THE POOR OR THE PEASANTS TO BENEFIT?

Conservation measures have now. been recognised as prudent,

WITH THE RESULT BEING THAT ENERGY DEMAND IS ACTUALLY FALLING

WHILE POPULATION IS  INCREASING.

.74

The w o r l d' s per c a p i t a  e n e r g y c o n s u m p t io n  has d e c l i n e d

BY 5,3% SINCE IT  PEAKED IN 1979.

As A RESULT THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY HAS HAD TO

REDUCE ITS ESTIMATES FOR NUCLEAR POWER GENERATING CAPACITY

IN THE 1 9 8 0 'S  BY UP TO 75%.

Sin c e  1978 no new r e a c t o r s  ha ve b een o r d e r e d  from U.S.

COMPANIES. I n FACT SINCE 1973 200 PROPOSED REACTORS HAVE

BEEN CANCELLED, WTIH 18 BEING CANCELLED IN 1982 ALONE.

At home t h e Au s t r a l i a n  At o m ic  Ener gy Co m m is s io n  has a ls o

SLASHED ITS PROJECTIONS FOR URANIUM DEMAND. IN 1975

IT  ESTIMATED THE WORLD WOULD CONSUME 108,000 TONNES OF URANIUM

b y 1985. I n 1981/2 i t s  e s t im a t e  was down to only 39,000 t o n n e s .

THE CHANCES ARE IT  WILL CONTINUE TO PLUMMET.

Au s t r a l i a  and o th e r d e v e l o p e d  n a t io n s  of c o ur se ha ve an

OBLIGATION TO ASSIST LESS DEVELOPED NATIONS WITH THE

DEVELOPMENT OF ENERGY SOURCES. *

I t i s  wrongly a s s u m e d  t h a t t e c h n o l o g ie s  such a s n u c l e a r

POWER OFFER THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE.

The v a s t c a p i t a l  c o s t s of n u c l e a r  power r e a c t o r s  c a n n o t be

ACCOMMODATED BY THE FRAGILE ECONOMIES OF DEVELOPING NATIONS,

ESPECIALLY THOSE ALREADY SADDLED WITH MASSIVE FOREIGN DEBTS.

;/5

5 .

There are a l t e r n a t i v e s ) i f  we are p r e p a r e d  to open our e y e s

AND SEE THEM.

Solar power i s  now c o m m e r c ia l l y  o p e r a t in g  i n  t h e U . S , ,  w it h

t h e "Sola r On e " power s t a t io n  p r o v i d i n g  127 megawatts  of .

POWER FOR DOMESTIC USE.

3 . " I n t e r n a t io n a l  Sa f e g u a r d s "

The t h i r d  f a l l a c io u s  a s s u m p t io n  i s  t h e  most g r a v e , t h e most

ILLOGICAL, AND THE MOST DANGEROUS.

Why do we have to be in v o l v e d  i n  t h e  p r o m o t io n  of t h e

NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE TO BE A VOICE IN THE WORLD CALLING FOR

AN END TO THE INSANITY OF THE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE?

I CHALLENGE BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND THE OPPOSITION -  BOTH

OF WHOM USE THIS EXCUSE TO JUSTIFY THE EXPANSION OF THE

Ur a n iu m  in d u s t r y  -  to e x p l a i n  t h i s  t o t h e Se n a t e .

A PERSON DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A RAPIST OR A V IC TIM  OF RAPE

TO TALK ABOUT ITS INDIGNITY AND HORROR. WHY IS IT  DIFFERENT

IN THE CASE OF URANIUM?

I n t e r n a t io n a l  sa fe g u a r d s  have b een an a b j e c t  f a i l u r e .

Nu c lea r  weapons  have sp r e a d  to new c o u n t r ie s  d e s p i t e  a l l

I n t e r n a t io n a l  a g r e e m e n t s .

6 .

I t i s  u t t e r l y  i r r e s p o n s ib l e  to c o n t r ib u t e  u r a n iu m  to an

INTERNATIONAL CYCLE THAT HAS INCREASED THE SPREAD OF NUCLEAR

WEAPONS AND W ILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, SIMPLY FOR FINA NCIAL GAIN.

That i s  t h e m o r a l it y  of t h e  h e r o in  pu s h e r  -  t h a t  d e s p ic a b l e

c r e a t u r e  who s e l l s  for g a in  w it h o u t  e ven s c a n t  regard  for

THE CONSEQUENCES.. .ON THE BASIS THAT IF  HE DOESN'T

SOMEONE ELSE W IL L .

I n c o n c l u s io n  l e t  me p u t t h e s u b j e c t  of t h i s  d e b a t e  in t o

ITS PROPER c o n t e x t .

Th i s  i s  not a t o p i c  r e s t r ic t e d  to l o c a l  c o n c e r n .

I t ' s not t h e f u t u r e  of a m i n e , a power s t a t io n  or e ven

a Fr a n k l in  Ri v e r .

I t  IS  A SUBJECT WHICH INVOLVES THE EXISTENCE ON T H IS  PLANET

OF L IF E  AS WE KNOW I T .

AS I SPEAK HERE TODAY THERE ARE 50,000 NUCLEAR WARHEADS

STOCKPILED BY THE SUPERPOWERS FOR USE AGAINST PEOPLE.

From what o th e r source ha ve t h e y come from i f  not u r a n iu m ?

At t h i s  v e r y moment t h e U.S. has 12,000 w arheads t a r g e t t e d

a g a i n s t  t h e So v i e t  p e o p l e . The So v i e t s  ha ve 8,000 warheads

AIMED AT PEOPLE IN THE U . S . ,  EUROPE, JAPAN. . . AND LETS NOT KID

o u r s e l v e s Au s t r a l i a .

. . . / 7

7 .

From where d i d  t h e s e  warheads  c o m e? I t w a s n ' t c o a l or o i l

BUT URANIUM.

Le t me d r i v e  t h i s  message  home to t h o s e  fo o ls  t h a t

WRITE SOOTHINGLY ABOUT THE NEED FOR URANIUM.

Each one of t h o s e  5 0 ,0 0 0  warheads  i s  up to 80 t im e s

AS DESTRUCTIVE AS THE BOMBS THAT INCINERATED 2 0 0 ,0 0 0

p e o p l e  a t Hi r o s h im a  and Na g a s a k i .

The s h o o t in g  down of t h e Korean Ai r l i n e s  jumbo shows

HOW EASILY THOSE WEAPONS COULD BE USED.

The d e c i s i o n  was made by a Commander  w it h  a m i l i t a r y  m in d

A MIND THAT WAS PROGRAMMED TO RESPOND ONLY IN A VIOLENT

MANNER WITHOUT REGARD FOR HUMAN L IF E .

I n t h e e v e n t  of a larg er  c o n f l ic t  or t h r e a t  t h e same

MILITARY MIND COULD WELL BE ITCHING TO USE HIS BIGGEST TOY

A NUCLEAR WEAPON. AND FOR HIM, IT  WOULD BE AS EASY AS

DOWNING THAT JUMBO,

Those who b e l i e v e  t h a t  we have to flo g our u r a n iu m  to

PREVENT THE PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS. FAIL TO SEE

THE LESSONS OF HISTORY.

And th o s e  who f a i l  to heed h is t o r y  are bound to r e l i v e  i t .

The world ca nno t  c o n t in u e  to l i v e  w it h  t h e a r s e n a l s  of

DEATH IT  HAS CREATED, AND THOSE POTENTIAL ARSENALS IT  HAS

PROMOTED.

