** Topic: Uranium Action Day In Australia - more rallies planned **
** Written 9:48 PM Jul 29, 1997 by econet in cdp:headlines **
From: foesydney@peg.apc.org (Friends of the Earth - Sydney)
From:John hallam
Last Friday (25th) was national uranium action day.
Right round Australia, students and activists demonstrated against the
mining of uranium at Jabiluka, and at the Government's ambitious plans to
open up to 18 new uranium mines in Australia, the country that has more
uranium than anyplace else on the planet.
In front of the mine site itself, Students and Aboriginal Traditional
Owners of the land under which the Jabiluka uranium orebody, the
second-largest in the world, lies, made their opposition to the mine
known with dances and street-theatre.
Demonstrations took place also in Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns, and Adelaide.
In Melbourne, about 45 people demonstrated in front of Norths Limited, who
own Energy resources of Australia.
In Sydney, a similar number demonstrated in front of Energy Resources of
Australia, with street theatre.
Media covered the Jabiluka demonstrations and the Sydney demonstration
with TV and radio, but no print, coverage.
The government plans to open up the second-largest uranium orebody on the
planet, in the middle of the Kakadu National Park, on Aboriginal land, next
to 10,000year old sacred art sites.
The Aboriginal Traditional Owners of the land are the Mirrar Gundjehmi
people, represented by the Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation.
Our government's Minister for the environment Senator Robert Hill, and the
Prime Minister, John Howard, have both made committments that the wishes of
the traditional owners with regard to the mining of uranium on their land
will be heeded.
However, when the Traditional Owners made it perfectly clear that they are
totally opposed to mining on their land, the Government has preferred to
ignore that fact, and has proceeded with an environmental impact statement
for the Jabiluka mine. A decision is due to be made on the EIS on August
22nd.
Just last Friday (25/7/97), about 100 university students from Australia's
national student bodies went up to the mine site and in cooperation with
the Gundjehmi people, staged a protest. Those of us who were still in
Sydney, Melbourne, etc, staged protests in solidarity, with actions in
front of the head offices of the uranium mining companies.
Further protests are planned for August 6th. We will be making the uranium
mining/weapons connection, and at the same time, making the connection with
the fact that it is always indigenous people on whose land weapons get
tested (both in the US and here, because the British back in the 60s tested
their nukes on Aboriginal land and people died as a result), whose land
gets used for nuclear waste dumping, and on whose land uranium is mined. In
Aust., that is at Ranger, at Jabiluka, at Nabarlek, and at the biggest
uranium orebody on the planet by a few zeroes, Olympic Dam (Roxby).
The government is to make an official decision about the Jabiluka project
on August 22nd.
The coordinator of the Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation, Jacqui Katona, has
asked for people to fax our Prime Minister John Howard, and our Minister
for the environment, Senator Robert Hill, asking them not to allow the mine
to proceed.
Your faxes to our Minister for Environment, Senator Robert Hill, asking him
not to permit the mining of uranium in a world heritage national park can
make a big difference. Please do it now, fax Senator Hill on 61-6-273-6101,
or the Prime minister on 61-6-273-4100. Ask them not to allow Jabiluka to
proceed, and not to allow uranium mining in a World Heritage national park,
or on Aboriginal Land.
You should also e-mail what you fax to the Gundjehmi Mirrar Traditional
Owners of Jabiluka, on jacq@taunet.net.au and to foesydney@peg.apc.org.
Do it now.
John hallam,
foesydney@peg.apc.org
***************************************************************************
This material came from PeaceNet, a non-profit progressive networking
service. For more information, send a message to peacenet-info@igc.apc.org
***************************************************************************