Jon Lamb, Darwin
Amidst concerns from environmentalists and anti-uranium campaigners, the first shipment of uranium by rail from South Australia to the Northern Territory arrived in Darwin on January 16. The shipment of four containers of yellowcake is the first of several expected to take place over a three-month trial period from Western Mining Corporation's Olympic Dam and Beverly mines.
WMC is pursuing the option of transporting uranium 3000 kilometres via rail to Darwin because of the closer proximity to customers (especially in North America) and to take advantage of cheaper port fees at the new and expanding East Arm Port development.
The proposal was floated publicly in early December and a licence approving shipment by rail was granted by NT Worksafe on December 23. WMC announced on December 31 that the first shipment would take place within a month. The timing of the announcement is questionable given the lack of public scrutiny and the fast tracking of the whole process.
Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner Dave Sweeney told ABC Radio on December 31: "This trial is an issue of real concern, we believe there are real issues of safety and siting along the route and the consent of traditional Aboriginal people for the use of this material to be transported along this route ... There are a lot of issues here that haven't been addressed, one way is to say that they'll be addressed during the trial, we say that that's the wrong way around."
The rail line passes through numerous remote towns and communities, as well as through larger centres such as Alice Springs. There has been zero public consultation in the NT about the shipments, which have the blessing of the NT, South Australian and federal governments.
NT Worksafe director Mark Crossin claims that WMC has met required safety and accident procedures and that it is safer to ship hazardous material via rail than by road. While this is possibly true, why should the people and environment of the NT and South Australia be put at risk by WMC's uranium shipments in the first place?
It is also unclear what procedures are in place for the transportation and storage of the uranium once it has reached Darwin, other than it will be kept in a "secure" yard at the port.
From Green Left Weekly, January 26, 2005.
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