Sun, 7th September 2008   LABOR'S HYPOCRISY ON URANIUM REACHES BREAKING POINT

The Hon Ian Macfarlane MP   Shadow Minister for Trade (to 22 September 2008)

The Rudd Labor Government must now resolve its untenable position on its refusal  to sell Australian uranium to India, following the decision of the Nuclear Suppliers  Group to overturn the longstanding ban on nuclear trade with India, Shadow Minister  for Trade Ian Macfarlane said today.

“During his visit to India next week, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith must  decide if he is going to be open and honest in Australia’s foreign affairs and trade  relationship with India or whether he is going to be condescending and hypocritical  by continuing to refuse to sell uranium to India under the same terms, conditions and  inspection regime as he has agreed to sell it to China,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“India is going to need clean energy to not only lift its standard of living but to meet  the energy demands of its rapidly growing population.

“Nuclear generated electricity fired by Australian uranium will make a far greater  contribution to India’s clean energy production and reducing global greenhouse gas  emissions than anything Kevin Rudd and Penny Wong can realistically achieve  through their flawed Australian emissions trading scheme.

“Our future diplomatic and trade relationship with India is dependent on an honest  and mutually beneficial approach by both countries. The Rudd Labor Government  clearly cannot deliver this sort of relationship based on its current ideological  opposition to nuclear power.

“The Labor Party continues to put at risk our relationship with India based on its  illogical refusal to sell Australian uranium to India under the same terms, conditions  and International Atomic Energy Agency inspection program as Australian uranium  sales to China.”

