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With Australia and India agreeing to launch negotiations for a civil nuclear pact, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman today announced lifting the ban on the State’s uranium mining.
Uranium has not been mined in Queensland since the closure of the Mary Kathleen mine in the State in 1982.
According to an ABC report, the State’s Resources Council said Queensland holds about $18 billion worth of known uranium reserves, mostly in the State’s north-west.
Newman said the Federal Government’s decision to press ahead with plans to sell uranium to India had prompted the renewed interest in the sector.
He said the State Government would put together a three-member committee to oversee the start of uranium mining in the State.
Newman said the announcement followed a sustained public debate on uranium mining in Queensland, and strong support for the uranium industry from the Federal Labour Government.
“Prime Minister Julia Gillard has just been in India selling the benefits of Australian-produced uranium to India, prompting many in the community to ask about the industry’s potential in Queensland,” Newman said.
“It’s been 30 years since there was uranium mining in this State, and in that time Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia have carved out successful uranium industries that deliver jobs and prosperity to their regions,” he added.
The committee will report to the State Government within three months.
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