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No Nukes |
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Australia
likes to be seen as a country leading the way
in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Yet Australia’s
role in the nuclear industry creates both environmental
and proliferation risks. From uranium sale
agreements with Japan and South Korea, to spent fuel
reprocessing contracts with France, Australia has shown
it is more than happy to maintain the nuclear status
quo. The
proposal to build a new reactor at Lucas Heights
in Sydney is an example of Australia using out-dated
and dirty nuclear technology, and ignoring cutting
edge technologies that don’t produce highly radioactive
waste. The
Australian Government allows weapons grade plutonium,
produced through the use of Australian uranium,
to be traded between Japan, the UK and France. The
Australian Government also promotes the use of
many different types of nuclear technologies (e.g. reactors)
and supports nuclear activities which can be used
for both civil and military purposes. In
the new millennium Australia is confronted with a
clear choice. Continue to support the nuclear indus-try, and
risk repeating the mistakes of the past 50 years
for the next 100 years. Or, take an alternative route,
question its nuclear deals, trade in alternative energy
technologies instead of uranium, and promote
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"For
us the lessons from Chernobyl are clear. The Faustian bargain of nuclear
energy
has been lost. It is high time to leave the path pursued in the use of
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