[Greens-Media] Greens want to give Parliament a say on nuclear cycle

[Elizabeth.Ingham at parliament.vic.gov.au]

Media Release - Thursday 19 April 2007

GREENS WANT TO GIVE PARLIAMENT A SAY ON NUCLEAR CYCLE

Greens amendments to the Bracks Government's bill* on nuclear prohibition 
proposed yesterday will mean that if there is to be a Victorian plebiscite 
on nuclear activities, Parliament will decide the question.

Greens MLC Greg Barber said: "If the Government wants to fully protect 
Victoria's anti-nuclear status, they should entrench the prohibitions from 
the Nuclear Activities (Prohibitions) Act into the Victorian Constitution. 
 Then no future State Government could go down the nuclear path without a 
referendum supported by Victorian voters.  That's as strong a protection 
as we can possibly have under Victorian law," Mr Barber said.

"The most important vote is not the one we had in parliament today, it's 
the one Steve Bracks will cast as a delegate to the ALP National 
Conference on uranium policy.  If they vote to open up uranium mining 
further, Labor will have completed the Liberalisation of their uranium 
policy," Mr Barber said.

" We don't trust a future Labor or Liberal Minister to frame the question 
that will go to the people.  Parliament should decide the question for any 
anti-nuclear plebiscite.  This is a non-binding plebiscite and to have any 
political impact it needs to have credibility."

" Despite hundreds of billions of dollars of subsidies, nuclear power is 
hugely expensive, uninsurable, and in the US, provides a smaller 
proportion of their energy needs than wood.  This is a phoney battle 
between Labor and Liberal, whose policies on all other nuclear issues are 
rapidly converging," Mr Barber said.

" We are on track for wind plus industry-forecast PVs to surpass installed 
global nuclear capacity around the beginning of the next decade," Mr 
Barber said.

For further comment: Greg Barber 0433 044 771

*  NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES (PROHIBITIONS) AMENDMENT (PLEBISCITE) BILL 2007
This Bill will trigger the calling of a plebiscite of Victorian voters if 
the Federal government takes various actions in support of a nuclear 
facility prohibited under the Nuclear Activities (Prohibitions) Act 1983

see also Victorian Hansard, Legislative Council from Wednesday 18 April 
2007
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/hansard
-- 

************************************
Liz Ingham
Office of Colleen Hartland MLC
9651 8413 / 0409 333 595


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