Mon, 4th August 2008   RUDD'S URANIUM HYPOCRISY COSTS AUSTRALIAN EXPORTING INCOME

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

The Rudd Labor Government's stance on uranium sales to India has descended into  further contradiction, selling out the Australian exporting community, Shadow  Minister for Trade Ian Macfarlane said today.

“The Rudd Government’s latest decision to support the International Atomic Energy  Agency’s approval of a uranium deal between India and the United States of  America, while maintaining a stubborn refusal to allow Australian uranium sales, only  deepens the confusion while undercutting trade opportunities for Australian exporting  businesses,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Over the past eight months, the Rudd Labor Government has made an absolute  mess of this issue and the Government’s inability to articulate a coherent policy on  uranium sales has undermined Australia’s diplomatic and trade relationship with one  of our major trading partners.

“Following the breakdown in the Doha round of world trade talks it is now more  important than ever for the Rudd Government to focus on the bilateral trade  relationships it has so far neglected.

“But by refusing to engage on this issue, which is at the heart of Australia’s trading  relationship with India, the Government is subjecting the Australian exporting  community to more uncertainty and missed opportunities.

“After coming into office one of the first actions of the Rudd Labor Government was  to overturn the decision made by the Howard Government to allow Australian  uranium sales to India for peaceful, energy generation purposes.

“This snub was further compounded by the Government’s eight month guessing  game over whether it would stand in the way of an agreement between the US and  India.

“Now, by giving the green light to the US arrangement but refusing to reconsider  sales of Australian uranium to India, the Rudd Labor Government’s uranium policy  has reached a new hypocritical low.

“It simply does not make sense for the Rudd Government to allow other countries to  sell uranium to India, but to deliberately prevent Australian exporters from accessing  the same opportunities.

“Furthermore, Mr Rudd has shown that while he’s prepared to lecture the rest of the  world on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, his Government is  deliberately thwarting the ability of India to reduce its reliance on coal by using  Australia's uranium.

“The Rudd Labor Government cannot continue its hypocritical and unsustainable  stance on Australian uranium exports to India which is costing Australia jobs, exports  and closer trade relationships.”

