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[[Uranium mining]] and export and [[List of books about nuclear issues|nuclear issues]] have often been the subject of public debate in Australia, and the [[anti-nuclear movement]] has a long history. Its origins date back to the 1972–73 debate over [[French nuclear testing]] in the Pacific, which mobilised several groups, and the 1976–77 debate about [[uranium mining in Australia]].<ref>[http://www.greenleft.org.au/1998/330/20531 Australia's anti-nuclear movement: a short history] ''Green Left Online'', 26 August 1998. Retrieved 14 December 2008.</ref> Australia has no [[nuclear power]] stations and the current [[Rudd Government|Rudd Labor government]] is opposed to [[Nuclear power in Australia|nuclear power for Australia]].<ref name=support>[http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20989451-601,00.html Support for N-power falls] ''The Australian'', 30 December 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
[[Nuclear testing]], [[uranium mining]] and export, and [[List of books about nuclear issues|nuclear energy]] have often been the subject of public debate in Australia, and the [[anti-nuclear movement]] has a long history. Its origins date back to the 1972–73 debate over [[French nuclear testing]] in the Pacific, which mobilised several groups, and the 1976–77 debate about [[uranium mining in Australia]].<ref>[http://www.greenleft.org.au/1998/330/20531 Australia's anti-nuclear movement: a short history] ''Green Left Online'', 26 August 1998. Retrieved 14 December 2008.</ref><ref name=romps>[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/11/24/1195753376406.html Rudd romps to historic win] ''The Age'', 25 November 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2008.</ref>

</ref><ref name=romps>[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/11/24/1195753376406.html Rudd romps to historic win] ''The Age'', 25 November 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2008.</ref>
Several groups specifically concerned with nuclear issues were established in the mid-1970s, including the Movement Against Uranium Mining and Campaign Against Nuclear Energy, cooperating with other environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and the Australian Conservation Foundation.<ref name=mb/><ref name="Hutton"/> But by the late 1980s, the price of uranium had fallen, and the costs of nuclear power had risen, and the anti-nuclear movement seemed to have won its case. The Campaign Against Nuclear Energy disbanded itself in 1988.<ref>Bauer, Martin (ed) (1995). ''Resistance to New Technology'', Cambridge University Press, p. 176-177.</ref>

About 2003, proponents of nuclear power advocated it as a solution to global warming and the Australian government began taking an interest. Anti-nuclear campaigners and some scientists in Australia emphasised that nuclear power could not significantly substitute for other power sources, and that uranium mining itself could become a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.<ref name=md/><ref name=jg/>

As of 2009, Australia has no [[nuclear power]] stations and the current [[Rudd Government|Rudd Labor government]] is opposed to [[Nuclear power in Australia|nuclear power for Australia]].<ref name=support/>


{{Anti-nuclear movement}}
{{Anti-nuclear movement}}

Revision as of 04:39, 12 April 2009

Nuclear testing, uranium mining and export, and nuclear energy have often been the subject of public debate in Australia, and the anti-nuclear movement has a long history. Its origins date back to the 1972–73 debate over French nuclear testing in the Pacific, which mobilised several groups, and the 1976–77 debate about uranium mining in Australia.[1][2]

Several groups specifically concerned with nuclear issues were established in the mid-1970s, including the Movement Against Uranium Mining and Campaign Against Nuclear Energy, cooperating with other environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and the Australian Conservation Foundation.[3][4] But by the late 1980s, the price of uranium had fallen, and the costs of nuclear power had risen, and the anti-nuclear movement seemed to have won its case. The Campaign Against Nuclear Energy disbanded itself in 1988.[5]

About 2003, proponents of nuclear power advocated it as a solution to global warming and the Australian government began taking an interest. Anti-nuclear campaigners and some scientists in Australia emphasised that nuclear power could not significantly substitute for other power sources, and that uranium mining itself could become a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.[6][7]

As of 2009, Australia has no nuclear power stations and the current Rudd Labor government is opposed to nuclear power for Australia.[8]

History

1950s and 1960s

In 1952, the Robert Menzies Liberal Government passed legislation, the "Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952", which allowed the British Government access to isolated parts of Australia to undertake atmospheric nuclear tests.[9] These tests were mainly conducted at Maralinga in South Australia between 1955 and 1963, but the full legal and political implications of the testing program took decades to emerge. The secrecy which surrounded the British testing program and the remoteness of the test sites meant that public awareness of the risks involved grew very slowly.[10]

But as the "Ban the Bomb" movement gathered momentum in Western societies throughout the 1950s, so too did opposition to the British tests in Australia. An opinion poll taken in 1957 showed 49 per cent of the Australian public were opposed to the tests and only 39 per cent in favour.[10] In 1964, Peace Marches which featured "Ban the bomb" placards, were held in several Australian capital cities.[11][12]

In 1969, a 500 MW nuclear power plant was proposed for the Jervis Bay Territory, 200 km south of Sydney.[13] A local opposition campaign began, and the South Coast Trades and Labour Council (covering workers in the region) announced that it would refuse to build the reactor.[14] Some environmental studies and site works were completed, and two rounds of tenders were called and evaluated, but in 1971 the Australian government decided not to proceed with the project, citing economic reasons.[13][15]

1970s

Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu National Park
Aerial view of the Ranger 3 site located within Kakadu National Park.

The Australian anti-nuclear movement has several roots. The 1972–73 debate over French nuclear testing in the Pacific mobilised several groups, including some trade unions.[16] In 1972 the International Court of Justice in a case launched by Australia and New Zealand,[17] ordered that the French cease atmospheric nuclear testing at Mururoa atoll.[18] In 1974 and 1975 this concern came to focus on uranium mining in Australia and several Friends of the Earth groups were formed.[16] The Australian Conservation Foundation also began voicing concern about uranium mining and supporting the activities of the grass-roots organisations. Concern about the environmental effects of uranium mining was a significant factor: poor management of waste at an early uranium mine, Rum Jungle, led it to become "one of Australia's most notorious pollution problems" in the 1970s.[19] The Australian anti-nuclear movement also acquired initial impetus from various individuals who publicly voiced concern about the nuclear option, such as nuclear scientists Richard Temple and Rob Robotham, and poets Dorothy Green and Judith Wright.[16]

The years 1976 and 1977 saw uranium mining become a major political issue, with the Ranger Inquiry (Fox) report opening up a public debate about uranium mining.[3] Several groups specifically concerned with nuclear issues were established, including the Movement Against Uranium Mining (founded in 1976) and Campaign Against Nuclear Energy (formed in South Australia in 1976), cooperating with other environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth (which came to Australia in 1975) and the Australian Conservation Foundation (formed in 1975).[3][4]

In November and December 1976, 7,000 people marched through the streets of Australian cities, protesting against uranium mining. The Uranium Moratorium group was formed and it called for a five-year moritorium on uranium mining. In April 1977 the first national demonstration co-ordinated by the Uranium Moratorium brought around 15,000 demonstrators into the streets of Melbourne, 5,000 in Sydney, and smaller numbers elsewhere.[20] A National signature campaign attracted over 250,000 signatures calling for a five-year moratorium. In August, another demonstration brought 50,000 people out nationally and the opposition to uranium mining looked like a potential political force.[20]

In 1977, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) national conference passed a motion in favour of an indefinite moratorium on uranium mining, and the anti-nuclear movement acted to support the Labor Party and help it regain office. However, a setback for the movement occurred in 1982 when another ALP conference overturned its anti-uranium policy in favour of a "one mine policy". After the ALP won power in 1983, the 1984 ALP conference voted in favour of a "three mines policy".[21] This referred to the then three existing uranium mines in Australia, Nabarlek, Ranger and Roxby Downs/Olympic Dam, and articulated ALP support for pre-existing mines and contracts, but opposition to any new mining.[22]

1980s and 1990s

In the 1980s, academic critics (such as Jim Falk) discussed the "deadly connection" between uranium mining, nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons, linking Australia's nuclear policy to nuclear proliferation and the "plutonium economy".[23]

The Nuclear Disarmament Party won a Senate seat in 1984, but soon faded from the political scene.[24] The years of the Hawke-Keating ALP governments (1983-1996) were characterised by an "uneasy standoff in the uranium debate". The ALP acknowledged community feeling against uranium mining but was reluctant to move against the industry.[25][26]

By the late 1980s, the price of uranium had fallen, and the costs of nuclear power had risen, and the anti-nuclear movement seemed to have won its case. The Campaign Against Nuclear Energy disbanded itself in 1988.[27]

The government policy preventing new uranium mines continued into the 1990s, despite occasional reviews and debate. Following protest marches in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane during 1998, a proposed mine at Jabiluka was blocked.[25][26]

Also in 1998, there was a proposal from an international consortium, Pangea Resources, to establish a nuclear waste dump in Western Australia. The plan, to store 20 per cent of the world's spent nuclear fuel and weapons material, was "publicly condemned and abandoned".[24][28]

2000s

In 2000, the Ranger Uranium Mine in the Northern Territory and the Roxby Downs/Olympic Dam mine in South Australia continued to operate, but Narbarlek had closed. A third uranium mine, Beverley in SA, was also operating. Several advanced projects, such as Honeymoon in SA, Jabiluka in the Northern Territory and Yeelirrie in WA were put on hold because of political and indigenous opposition.[24][26]

Following the McClelland Royal Commission, a large clean-up was completed in outback South Australia in 2000, after nuclear testing at Maralinga during the 1950s contaminated the region. The cleanup lasted three years, and cost over AUD$100 million, but there was controversy over the methods used and success of the operation.[24]

As uranium prices began rising from about 2003, proponents of nuclear power advocated it as a solution to global warming and the Australian government began taking an interest. However, in June 2005, the Senate passed a motion opposing nuclear power for Australia.[24] Then, in November 2006, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry and Resources released a pro-nuclear report into Australia's uranium.[29] In late 2006 and early 2007, then Prime Minister John Howard made widely reported statements in favour of nuclear power, on environmental grounds.[25]

Faced with these proposals to examine nuclear power as a possible response to climate change, anti-nuclear campaigners and scientists in Australia emphasised claims that nuclear power could not significantly substitute for other power sources, and that uranium mining itself could become a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.[6][7] Anti-nuclear campaigns were given added impetus by public concern about the sites for possible reactors: fears exploited by anti-nuclear power political parties in the lead-up to a national election in 2007.[30][31]

The Rudd Labor government was elected in November 2007 and is opposed to nuclear power for Australia.[8][2] The anti-nuclear movement continues to be active in Australia, opposing expansion of existing uranium mines,[32] lobbying against the development of nuclear power in Australia, and criticising proposals for nuclear waste disposal sites.[33]

Issues

See also: Nuclear debate and Nuclear power in Australia

The case against nuclear power and uranium mining in Australia has been concerned with the environmental, political, economic, social and cultural impacts of nuclear energy; with the shortcomings of nuclear power as an energy source; and with presenting a sustainable energy strategy. The most prominent adverse impact of nuclear power is seen to be its potential contribution towards proliferation of nuclear weapons. For example, the 1976 Ranger Inquiry report stated unequivocally "The nuclear power industry is unintentionally contributing to an increased risk of nuclear war. This is the most serious hazard associated with the industry".[16]

The health risks associated with nuclear materials have also featured prominently in Australian anti-nuclear campaigns. This has been the case worldwide because of incidents like the Chernobyl disaster, but Australian concerns have also involved specific local factors such as controversy over the health effects of nuclear testing in Australia and the South Pacific, and the emergence of prominent anti-nuclear campaigner Helen Caldicott, who is a medical practitioner.

The economics of nuclear power has been a factor in anti-nuclear campaigns, with critics arguing that such power is uneconomical in Australia,[34] particularly given the country's abundance of coal resources.

From the perspective of the anti-nuclear movement, most of the problems with nuclear power today are much the same as in the 1970s. Nuclear reactor accidents remain a possibility and no convincing solution to the problem of long-lived radioactive waste has been proposed. Nuclear weapons proliferation continues to occur, notably in Pakistan and North Korea, building on facilities and expertise from civilian nuclear operations. The alternatives to nuclear power, efficient energy use and renewable energy (especially wind power), have been further developed and commercialised.[25]

Active groups

Individuals

There are several prominent Australians who have publicly expressed anti-nuclear views in recent years:

Quotes

Nuclear power in particular is rejected because of its substantial risks (proliferation of nuclear weapons, terrorism, waste management and reactor failures) and economic costs, and because within several decades it will become a significant emitter of CO2, mainly from the fossil fuels used in mining and milling low-grade uranium ore. Based on existing technologies, nuclear power is neither a long-term nor a short-term solution to global warming. -- Dr Mark Diesendorf, 2007.[52]

Promoting nuclear power as the solution to climate change is like advocating smoking as a cure for obesity. That is, taking up the nuclear option will make it much more difficult to move to the sort of sustainable, ecologically healthy future that should be our goal. -- Professor Ian Lowe, 2007.[53]

There are significant constraints on the growth of nuclear power, such as its high capital cost and, in many countries, lack of public acceptability. As a method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear power is further limited because it is used almost exclusively for electricity generation, which is responsible for less than one third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Because of these problems, the potential for nuclear power to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels is limited. Few predict a doubling of nuclear power output by 2050, but even if it did eventuate it would still only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 5% – less than one tenth of the reductions required to stabilise atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. -- Dr Jim Green, 2005.[54]

If serious plans for a nuclear power plant in Australia are ever developed, and construction begun, it is safe to say that this would trigger a massive expansion of the anti-nuclear movement, which been relatively dormant for decades, drawing on strong latent public opposition to uranium mining and nuclear power. Australian activists would mount direct action campaigns. The boost to activism would be enormous. -- Dr Brian Martin, 2007.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ Australia's anti-nuclear movement: a short history Green Left Online, 26 August 1998. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b Rudd romps to historic win The Age, 25 November 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  3. ^ a b c Bauer, Martin (ed) (1995). Resistance to New Technology, Cambridge University Press, p. 173.
  4. ^ a b Drew Hutton and Libby Connors, (1999). A History of the Australian Environmental Movement, Cambridge University Press.
  5. ^ Bauer, Martin (ed) (1995). Resistance to New Technology, Cambridge University Press, p. 176-177.
  6. ^ a b Diesendorf, Mark (2007). Paths to a Low-Carbon Future: Reducing Australia’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 (PDF)
  7. ^ a b Green, Jim (2005). Nuclear Power: No Solution to Climate Change (PDF)
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference support was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Britain's Nuclear Weapons Program
  10. ^ a b A toxic legacy: British nuclear weapons testing in Australia Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  11. ^ Women with Ban the Bomb banner during Peace march on Sunday April 5th 1964, Brisbane, Australia Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  12. ^ Girl with placard Ban nuclear tests during Peace march on Sunday April 5th 1964, Brisbane, Australia Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  13. ^ a b Bauer, Martin (ed) (1995). "Resistance to Nuclear Technology: Optimists, Opportunists and Opposition in Australian Nuclear History" in Resistance to New Technology, Cambridge University Press, p. 171.
  14. ^ Falk, Jim (1982). Gobal Fission:The Battle Over Nuclear Power, p. 260.
  15. ^ 'Gorton gave nod to nuclear power plant', The Age, 1 January 2000.
  16. ^ a b c d Martin, Brian. The Australian anti-uranium movement Alternatives: Perspectives on Society and Environment, Volume 10, Number 4, Summer 1982, pp. 26–35. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  17. ^ Dewes, Kate (undated).Legal challenges to nuclear weapons from Aotearoa/ New Zealand Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  18. ^ Dewes, Kate (undated). The Evolution And Impact Of An Effective Citizens' Movement Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  19. ^ Australian Uranium Association, Former Australian Uranium Mines, Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  20. ^ a b Falk, Jim (1982). Gobal Fission:The Battle Over Nuclear Power, p. 264-5.
  21. ^ Burgmann, Verity (2004). Power, Profit and Protest p. 175. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  22. ^ Chris Evans, 'Labor & uranium: an evolution', Labor E-herald, 23 March 2007.
  23. ^ Bauer, Martin (ed) (1995). Resistance to New Technology, Cambridge University Press, p. 175.
  24. ^ a b c d e Four Corners. (2005). Chronology - Australia's Nuclear Political History Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  25. ^ a b c d e Martin, Brian. Opposing nuclear power: past and present Social Alternatives, Vol. 26, No. 2, Second Quarter 2007, pp. 43–47. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  26. ^ a b c Anti-uranium demos in Australia BBC News, 5 April 1998. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  27. ^ Bauer, Martin (ed) (1995). Resistance to New Technology, Cambridge University Press, p. 176-177.
  28. ^ Ian Holland, 'Waste Not Want Not? Australia and the Politics of High-level Nuclear Waste', Australian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 283-301.
  29. ^ House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry and Resources (2006). Australia’s uranium — Greenhouse friendly fuel for an energy hungry world Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  30. ^ Matthew Franklin and Steven Wardill, PM nukes Labor's "campaign of fear", Courier-Mail, 6 June 2006.
  31. ^ Joseph Kerr and Steve Lewis, Support for N-power plants falls, The Australian, 30 December 2006.
  32. ^ Ty Pedersen, Olympic Dam expansion: a risk too great, Green Left Weekly, 26 January 2008, Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  33. ^ ABC News, Anti-nuclear campaigners say Muckaty will be dumped, 26 November 2007, Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  34. ^ See, eg, Brian Martin, Nuclear Power and the Western Australia Electricity Grid, Search, Vol. 13, No. 5-6, 1982. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  35. ^ Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia. Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  36. ^ Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia. NewClear News (PDF)
  37. ^ Australian Conservation Foundation. Nuclear Free Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  38. ^ Australian Nuclear Free Alliance Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  39. ^ Australian Conservation Foundation. Australian Nuclear Free Alliance Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  40. ^ New alliance to mount anti-nuclear election fight ABC News, 13 August 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  41. ^ Cycle Against the Nuclear Cycle. Cycle Against the Nuclear Cycle Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  42. ^ EnergyScience. The Energy debate Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  43. ^ Australian Nuclear Issues Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  44. ^ Greenpeace Australia Pacific. Nuclear power Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  45. ^ Friends of the Earth International (2004). Aboriginal women win battle against Australian Government Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  46. ^ Nuclear Free Australia. Nuclear Free Australia Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  47. ^ People for a Nuclear-Free Australia. People for a Nuclear-Free Australia Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  48. ^ The Australia Institute. Nuclear Plants - Where would they go? Media release, 30 January 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  49. ^ The Sustainable Energy and Anti-Uranium Service Inc. The Sustainable Energy and Anti-Uranium Service Inc. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  50. ^ The Wilderness Society. The Nation said YES! to a Nuclear Free Australia Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  51. ^ The Wilderness Society launches new anti-nuclear TV Ad Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  52. ^ Diesendorf, Mark (2007). Paths to a Low-Carbon Future: Reducing Australia’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 (PDF)
  53. ^ Lowe, Ian (2007). Reaction Time: climate change and the nuclear option, p. 19.
  54. ^ Green, Jim (2005). Nuclear Power: No Solution to Climate Change (PDF)

External links

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