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MINISTERIAL STATEMENT BY SENATOR THE HON. PETER WALSH.   MINISTER FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY Â·  Â·Ã¢ÂÂ

MARALINGA WEAPONS TESTS

YESTERDAY AT A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE PREMIER OF  ÃÂ  Â· Ã¢ÂÂ  Ã¢ÂÂ  . Â· '  . SOUTH/ AUSTRALIA, JOHN BANNON,  I INDICATED THAT WE HAD AGREED   I WWILD ASK THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FOR ITS AGREEMENT TO RELEASE

THE FULL TEXT OF WHAT" IS KNOWN “AS” THE"Â· PEARCE-- REPORT.  THAT

REPORT, PRODUCED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IN JANUARY 1968,

DEALS WITH THE QUESTION OFRESIDUAL RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION

AT MARALINGA IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. AN EDITED VERSION OF THAT

REPORT WAS PRODUCED IN MAY 1979 AND TABLED IN THE HOUSE OF '

REPRESENTATIVES BY THE THEN MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ;

ON 7 JUNE 1979. IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM THE PEARCE REPORT WAS A !

CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT AS IT CONTAINS INFORMATION ON THE NATURE ;

OF SOME OF THE TESTS AND MATERIALS USED. IN ADDITION THE .  .

REPORT SPECIFICALLY RECORDS THE LOCATION OF VARIOUS WASTE BURIALS

AND THEIR CONTENTS. THE EDITED VERSION DELETES CERTAIN REFERENCES

TO ASPECTS OF THE TESTS AND TO' THE BURIAL SITES.

IN THE LIGHT OF CLAIMS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE BY THE LATE MR BURKE

AND OTHERS THAT THERE ARE UNMARKED AND UNKNOWN BURIAL SITES,

I FELT IT WOULD BE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO HAVE THE FULL

REPORT RELEASED.

I AM PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO INFORM THE SENATE THAT THE BRITISH

GOVERNMENT HAS RESPONDED POSITIVELY AND PROMPTLY TO THIS REQUEST.

I SEEK LEAVE TO TABLE A COP.Y OF THE UNEDITED VERSION OF THE REPORT

UNFORTUNATELY VERY' FEW COPIES OF THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT ARE IN

AUSTRALIA. ARRANGEMENTS ARE BEING'MADE TO HAVE THE REPORT

REPRINTED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BUT IN THE MEANTIME I HAVE

* . . ' . / *

A R R A N G E D  F O R  .A ÃÂ ÃÂ V. COP] L- 1 0 bi J'LACi. b IN 1 HI PAR LI AMLNl ARY

11 BRAKY.  .  .

I ALSO SOUGHT AN ASSURANCE. FROM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. THAI

ÃÂ   HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANY WASTE BURIAL SITES ARISING FROM

THE TESTS OTHER THAN THOSE SET OUT IN .THE PEARCE REPORT.

I. TABLE A LETTER DATED -4 MAY FROM THE BR1 IT 5H. HIGH COMMISSION

IN CANBERRA ADVISING THAI TO THE BEST OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENTÂ·5

KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF THERE ARE NO BURIAL SITES. IN EXISTENCE

RESULTING FROM IHF MARAL1NGA TESTS. OTHER THAN. THOSE DESCRIBED-Â·Â·

IN THE FULL PEARCE REPORT.  .

YESTERDAY IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION FROM SENATOR COOK,  IN .

CONFIRMING THAT A SMALL QUANTITY OF PLUTONIUM HAD BEEN RETURNED

TO THE UK IN 1979, I SAID THAT AS PART OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN

THE UK AND AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIA HAD AGREED TO

ACCEPT ENTIRELY THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REST OF THE CONTAMINATE

WASTE MATERIAL AT MARALINGA AND THAT THE UK HAD NO FURTHER

RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE ANY OTHER CONTAMINATED MATERIAL REPATRIATE!

TO THE UK. AGAIN WITH THE CONCURRENCE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT,

I HAVE ARRANGED FOR THE EXCHANGE OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THIS

MATTER TO BE MADE PUBLIC AND SEEK LEAVE TO TABLE A COPY OF A

NOTE. DATED 29 NOVEMBER 1978 TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND ITS 7

RESPONSE OF 4 JANUARY 1979 AS WELL AS THE BOUT DE PAPIER

REFERRED TO IN THE HIGH COMMISSIONER'S LETTER.

2 . .

I

3 .

WHILE THERE IS UNDERSTANDABLE CONCERN O N .THE PAR3 OF THE PUBLIC

ABOUl THE VARIOUS CLAIMS AND.ALLEGAT3 ONS REGARDING MARAL1NGA IN

THE LAST FEW- DAYS THIS HAS KOI BEEN HELPED BY OVERREACT] ON AND

MISREPORTING BY SOME SECTIONS OF THE MEDIA ANDBY CONTINUING .

SUGGESTIONS OF SECRECY ON.THE PART OF THE AUSTRALIAN AND BRITISH

GOVERNMENTS. TYPICAL OF THIS IS A CLAIM IN THE CANBERRA TIMES

TODAY STATING THAT DETAILS WERE REVEALED YESTERDAY OF ANOTHER .

PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLIC1SED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REPORT ON THE

1979 PROGRAM TO REMOVE A PLUTONIUMXIASS FROM MARALINGA. THE

PLAIN FACT IS MR PRESIDENT. THAT THE REPROT ENTITLED. MANAGEMENT

OF FORMER UK ATOMIC TEST SITES IN AUSTRALIA - fcEPORT OF 1979

WORK PROGRAM - WAS PRESENTED IN BOTH HOUSES OF THE PARLIAMENT

ON 7 JUNE 1979, AND A PRESS RELEASE WAS ALSO ISSUED. ,  \

FINALLY MR PRESIDENT, LET" ME ASSURE THE SENATE AND.THE AUSTRALIAN

PEOPLE THAT THIS GOVERNMENT HAS NO INTEREST OR INTENTION OF

KEEPTNG FACTS RELATING TO THE NUCLEAR TESTS IN AUSTRALIA S E C R E T .

WE ARE DEAI ING WITH" EVENTS THAT DATE BACK SOME T H I R T Y . YEARS.

THERE ARE VOLUMINOUS RECORDS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT VARIOUS

COMMONWEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND ARCHIVES IN AUSTRALIA AND THE SAME

SITUATION EXISTS IN THE UK. MY DEPARTMENT IS CONTINUING EFFORTS

TO BRING TOGETHER ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION AND I

AM ADVISED THAT ,A SIMILAR PROCESS IS PROCEEDING IN THE UR. ;  AS .  .

I HAVE ALREADY ANNOUNCED, LATER THIS YEAR THE GOVERNMENT WILL

RECEIVE A REPORT COVERING THE HISTORY OF THE MARALINGA AND EMU

TEST SERIES AND THAT WILL BE PUBLISHED. IN THE MEANTIME, I

INVITE ANY PERSON WHO HAS INFORMATION BELIEVED TO BE OF RELEVANCE

TO COME FORWARD AND TO CONTACT ME OR-MY- DEPARTMENT.

