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PERTH - The West Australian Government has rejected a federal call to end its ban on uranium mining.
Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell said yesterday the state should reassess its ban because nuclear power could be used in the fight against climate change.
He also said huge benefits awaited the state and Australian economies because of the world hunger for uranium.
But Acting Premier Eric Ripper rejected the call to dump the ban, one of Labor's central policies in the 2005 state election.
Mr Ripper also dubbed Senator Campbell "a nuclear fanatic". "I mean, the answer to greenhouse gas emissions is to look at clean coal technology, to promote renewables, solar, wind, wave, biomass, to invest in energy efficiency," he said.
"And, of course, Western Australia is contributing substantially to one of the other answers, which is to export LNG so that it replaces coal in Chinese power stations."
Mr Ripper said if the state lifted the ban it would come under intense pressure to accept an international waste dump. "And that's something our electorate would be strongly opposed to.
"We said at the last election we were opposed to nuclear power and uranium mining. That's the contract we have with the voters and we intend to honour that commitment."
- AAP
