.  URANIUM EXPLORATION IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR MINERALS AND ENERGY, THE HONOURABLE R.F.X. CONNOR, M.P.

On 31 October 19 74, I tabled a statement in the

House of Representatives announcing the Australian Government's

intentions concerning exploration for and development of uranium

resources in the Northern Territory. Pursuant to this

announcement the Australian Atomic Energy Commission has

initiated a programme to undertake exploration for uranium in

the Northern Territory. '

The Commission has established an Exploration

Division and is in the process of recruiting the necessary

qualified professional staff. The Division will be headed by a

highly qualified geologist with experience in uranium exploration

to be chosen from some 28 applicants from Australia and

overseas.  About 200 applications have also been received in .

response to advertisements seeking other professional staff

and the Commission is presently engaged in making the

necessary selections.

While private companies will be permitted to continue

uranium exploration within the terms of their existing

exploration licences, all new exploration within the Territory

will be undertaken by the Commission. Under the Northern

Territory Mining Ordinance, exploration licences have tenure

of up to five years, but the areas covered by the exploration

licences are progressively reduced after the second year.

Most exploration licences will expire in 1977. The areas

initially covered by the exploration' licences were, in most

cases, extremely large.  Although some of the most prospective

2.

Â· , }  areas will continue to be held by private companies for the

next several years, many promising areas are waiting to be

explored and further areas will become available to the

Commission’s exploration team as the companies relinquish

them .  Ultimately the Commission will be responsible for

all uranium exploration in the Northern Territory.

The Exploration Division will comprise two main

"  groups.  One, based in Sydney, will be responsible for

overall planning, including field programmes and the evaluation

and assessment of prospects.  The other group, with a base

near Darwin, will supervise and support the various field

teams.  Ã¢ÂÂ

This base, which will have an area of about 10 acres,

will be needed for exploration base offices, plant and

equipment stores, workshops, a communications centre, drill

core preparation and storage areas, laboratories, vehicle and

equipment maintenance,  and other requirements to support an

extensive field exploration programme.

The immediate objective of the planning section is

to delineate several of the most promising areas so that field

activities can begin rapidly. Toward this end the Commission

is gathering together all available geological, geophysical and

.  other data relating to uranium exploration in the Northern

Territory.

The Commission will despatch teams into the field as

soon as possible. It is proposed that the Commission's initial

field programme will be concentrated in the Alligator Rivers

Uranium Field. On the basis of present knowledge, this

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3.

area still appears to have the greatest potential for further

uranium discoveries. It is intended that three field teams

shouldÂ· be working in this area during the coming dry season.

’  Field work will be extended subsequently into such

areas as the Ngalia Basin, MacDonnell Ranges, and the Finke

and Pandanus Creek localities. Teams from the Alligator

Rivers Uranium Field may be moved south to those areas

during the monsoonal season. The main areas of current interest

are shown on the accompanying m ap.

In the initial stages, part of the geochemical .

studies and chemical assays will be undertaken by the

Commission at its Lucas Heights Establishment and, where

'necessary, under contract to the Australian Mineral Development

Laboratories, Adelaide.

Ã¢ÂÂ   Wherever feasible, field activities will be carried

out by permanent staff recruited by the Commission. An

invitation to register as a tenderer for the supply of auger

drilling machines has been advertised and a number of companies

has already responded. Quotations have been obtained for a

range of auger drilling rigs. Invitations to register as a

tenderer for the undertaking of airborne radiometric surveys

and drilling programmes, which have also been advertised in

capital city newspapers, have given rise to replies from a

number of companies.

6 March 1975

10Â°

T i m o r  S e a

A r a f u r a  S e a

DARWIN J

RUM JUNGLE

G u l f

ERINE KATH

C a r p  e n  t a r i a

LIMMEN BIGHT

TENNANT CREEK

TANAM I DESERT

REYNOLDS RANGE

T r o p i c  o f  C a p r i c o r n NGALIA BASIN;

macdonnell range||11A U C E  SPRINGS/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / z / > / / / / / / / / / s / M / S S / / / / / / / / . ÃÂ

SCALE

100 150 FINKE

miles

Main areas of uranium significance in the Northern Territory.

