Greens threaten blue over yellowcake
08 September 2010
The result of the Australian general election has finally come, with a new ruling coalition of Labor, some independents and a Green.
The poll of 21 August was incredibly tight. Julia Gillard's Labor Party won 72 seats - one less than Tony Abbott's Liberal-National coalition and four short of a majority. However, sitting prime minister Gillard had the first right to try to form a government, and what followed was an effort to secure the support of one left-leaning independent, one Green and three ex-National Party independents who declared they would consider joining Labor.
Gillard joined forces with the Green Party to gain supply votes from Green MP Adam Bandt on 1 September, agreeing to work hard on the issue of climate change. This was followed over the days to 7 September by announcements from the others that all but one would give confidence and supply votes for the coalition.
The Green contribution to the coalition should primarily come through a new Climate Change Committee encompassing experts and politicians "who acknowledge that reducing carbon pollution by 2020 will require a carbon price." By the end of September this should have a finalised structure, membership and work plan.
Senior Greens (who have a stronger presence in the Senate) will also sit with the prime minister to "discuss and negotiate any planned legislation" once every week when parliament is sitting and once every two weeks otherwise.
In addition, Labor also promised to "consider" any of the Green Party's policies, should they be put forward as potential government legislation. Such policies include anti-nuclear measures ranging from shutting down all uranium mines and closing the new Opal research reactor, to making mining companies store and monitor tailings from uranium mines for at least 10,000 years.
Trade group the Australian Uranium Association (AUA) has "sought assurance" from Gillard that the deal "will not result in Labor abandoning its support for uranium mining and exports." In particular the AUA is referring to Labor's 2007 policy change to allow new uranium mines as long as they meet strict environmental and safeguards standards. Australia would be an "international laughing stock" with a damaged reputation for reliability if it were to stop supplying uranium, said CEO Michael Angwin.
In the run-up to the election, the Greens proposed extending the planned Mineral Resources Rent Tax to uranium mining, but resources minister Martin Ferguson publicly rejected that position and provided a written assurance to the AUA that this would not occur.
Australian uranium exports are worth about A$1 billion ($910 million) per year to the country and AUA points out that they help other nations to avoid 400 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually that would otherwise be emitted by a mix of fossil sources. Angwin said this was Australia's biggest contribution to climate change mitigation.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News