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Liberal Senator for Victoria  Shadow Minister for the Environment, the A.C.T.  and Administrative Services

NEWS RELEASE

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THE SENATE

23 August, 1995

SENATOR FAULKNER SHOULD RECONSIDER  OFFER TO SURVEY MURUROA ATOLL

Senator Faulkner, in question time today, indicated that the Government would not  accept the offer from World Geoscience Corporation to survey for nuclear  contamination of the Mururoa Atoll "free of charge".

Senator Faulkner should reconsider his position.

Despite Senator Faulkner's claims, the company has offered to cover all costs of the  survey.

His argument that effects of the testing would only be felt in the longer term ignore  the possibility of accidents or leakage.

The gamma-ray spectrometric equipment would establish had there been any  surface contamination of the minutest nature.

The test would, among other things, provide a baseline of what radioactivity is in the  area prior to the next sequence of tests and the post test survey would show  whether there had been any surface leakage.

The test would provide a baseline for longer term surveys.

Senator Faulkner's position, on the basis of the arguments he put forward in the  Parliament today, simply do not stand up.

He did not answer the question raised by Director, Pat Cunneen, of World  Geoscience Corporation, that organisations such as the International Atomic Energy  Association, do not have the equipment of sufficient sophistication to carry out the  monitoring of such sites as Mururoa.

Enquiries: Melbourne (03) 326 1088 or Canberra (06) 277 3830  Printed 011 Ret)'cled Paper

