Australia’s proposed India uranium deal given cautious green light despite ‘risks’
To counteract potential risks of the deal, Australia’s treaties committee recommends nuclear-armed India agree to a number of safeguards
Shalailah Medhora
Monday 7 September 2015 23.37 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 8 September 2015 02.21 EDT
The government-dominated treaties committee has given a cautious green light to a proposed uranium deal with India, but only if the nuclear-armed nation agrees to a number of safeguards.
India is not a signatory of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) nor the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT), yet the emerging world leader is in dire need of energy.
As such, the committee report notes that: “It would be fair to say that, in this debate, there are no small risks or benefits. Every issue the committee has dealt with in this inquiry bears significant potential benefits and risks.
“The question for the committee is, then, given the benefits for Australia and India from the proposed agreement, can the risks be tolerated and ameliorated,” the report asked.
To counteract the potential risks of the treaty, including the possibility for Australian uranium to be used in the formation of nuclear weapons, the committee has made six recommendations.
Among them, the recommendation that the bilateral treaty only be ratified if India manages to achieve the full separation of civil and military nuclear facilities, and that the country establishes a new, fully independent, nuclear regulatory body.
It also recommends the International Atomic Energy Agency verify that inspections of nuclear facilities live up to international standards.
India, which is nestled between nuclear-armed neighbours Pakistan and China, is estimated to possess up to 110 nuclear warheads.
Australia should commit “significant diplomatic resources” to encourage India to sign the CTBT and facilitate a regional nuclear arms limitation treaty, the report recommends.
Labor changed its party platform banning the sale of uranium to countries that have not signed the NPT in 2011, paving the way for the deal with India.
The report highlighted the huge economic benefits of the treaty.
“From Australia’s perspective, selling uranium to India would double the size of an export industry, both in terms of income and employment opportunities,” the report said. “Moreover, it will do so in regional and remote Australia at a time when lower commodity prices are having an economic impact on these regions.”
The Australian Safeguards and Non-proliferation Office estimates India’s import requirements for uranium could grow to 2,000 tonnes a year, valued at $200m. The Minerals Council of Australia thinks that could result in a net gain of 4,200 uranium mining jobs.
India currently gets about 50% of its energy from coal, which the report noted is the lesser option when compared with nuclear power. Presently, only 2% of India’s energy is generated by nuclear power.
The committee acknowledges that keeping India isolated due to its status as a non-signatory of the NPT has not resulted in the country ditching its nuclear arsenal. The bilateral treaty, it argued, would give Australia leverage to make changes and strengthen safeguards.
The Greens, in additional comments to the committee’s report, said the agreement was putting “short-term political expedience above global security”.
“As such, the Australian Greens cannot support this agreement and urge others to do likewise,” the comments said.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons wants the committee to ensure that all safeguards are in place before the treaty is ratified.
“It is disingenuous for the committee to recommend ratification while simultaneously acknowledging the substantial deficiencies that must be addressed before the agreement can be acted on,” Tilman Ruff said.
Dave Sweeney from the Australian Conservation Foundation said the report’s claimthat the uranium mining industry will double as a result of the potential deal “do not stack up”.
“In recent months Rio Tinto has moved away from further mining at Ranger in Kakadu and BHP Billiton has dismissed more than 350 workers at South Australia’s Olympic Dam operation,” Sweeney said. “Australian uranium production in 2014 was the lowest for 16 years. Uranium provides less than 0.2% of national export revenue and 0.02% of Australian jobs.”
No comments:
Post a Comment