[Greens-Media] Parliament must scrutinise Russia uranium deal

[Hollo, Tim (Sen C. Milne)]

Parliament must scrutinise Russia uranium deal

Hobart, Friday 7 September 2007  Australian Greens Climate Change
Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, today called on Prime Minister
Howard and Foreign Minister Downer to give Parliament the opportunity to
scrutinise the deal to be signed today to sell uranium to Russia.

Senator Milne said "Selling Australian uranium to Russia could be one of
the most profound strategic mistakes in Australian history. And yet,
just as with sending troops into Iraq, it seems that the Government has
no intention to allow Parliament to scrutinise the decision.

"The Greens will move in the Senate on Monday for a detailed Senate
Inquiry into this deal. We must allow time for Australia's top strategic
minds, as well as the Australian people at large, to give their
considered opinion on such a profound decision.

"On a day when reports emerged once again that Russia has struck a deal
to sell nuclear fuel to Iran, Mr Howard and Mr Downer are bending over
backwards to sell Australian uranium into this volatile middle eastern
mix.

"The deal with Iran, alongside Mr Putin's ambitions to corner 25% of the
world's nuclear fuel market, should put the Australia-Russia deal into
perspective.

"The Putin administration has overseen a disturbing return to
authoritarianism in Russia. In recent years, there has been an alarming
increase in suppression of dissent, muzzling of the media and NGOs,
gaoling and torturing of dissenters.

"The sale of uranium to a country whose government demonstrably has such
little respect for human rights or the rule of law should be
unthinkable. But that is exactly what our government and potential
government are planning to do.

"Real, responsible Australian leadership would make the world a safer
place by refusing to dig up and sell our uranium, developing and
exporting high-value renewable energy technologies instead. That is what
the Greens would do.

"The Greens, like the majority of Australians, do not support the
decision to sell uranium to Russia. We have no confidence in Mr Howard's
obscene rush to facilitate mining company profits at the expense of
global security and the environment.

"Greed is not a family value."

Contact: Tim Hollo on  0437 587 562

Tim Hollo
Media and Communications Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
Phone: + 61 (0) 2 6277 3063
Mobile: + 61 (0) 437 587 562
Email: tim.hollo at aph.gov.au
Skype: timhollo
www.christinemilne.org.au
www.youtube.com/senatormilne