Comment: Virginia Uranium SubCom should consider the flooding caused by hurricanes and our local heavy rain storms before they decide about uranium mining, plus uranium mining will not bring jobs to the area, the miners will come from Canada!!!!
Tony Moore
May 22, 2009 - 3:07PM
Tony Moore
May 22, 2009 - 3:07PM
Uranium mining does not produce jobs and is increasingly flood-prone, meaning toxic waste could run from flooded tailings dams, Queensland's Conservation Council said this morning.
QCC co-ordinator Toby Hutcheon said he acknowledged the job losses predicted by Australia's peak mining organisation in Queensland's mining industry as a result of an emission trading scheme.
However Mr Hutcheon said he did not accept this meant a shift to nuclear energy as a green source of producing electricity, saying Queensland had just two per cent of Australia's uranium reserves.
He said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh should instead build on her plans - announced in the State Budget - to produce local and regional jobs through a grass-roots solar hot water installation program.
"Uranium mining is not a big earner and it is not a big job creator for a start," Mr Hutcheon said.
"And the key issue is that now almost all of Queensland's uranium deposits were under water at the beginning of this year.
"And with floods set to become more regular we have a resource that is essentially in an inappropriate location.
"And it would be inappropriate to develop it.
"You could have old tailings dams running into the rivers and creeks."
Mr Hutcheon said the impact of an emission trading scheme on Queensland's carbon-intensive mining industry should be replaced by a bigger investment in industries linked to solar power.
"You have hundreds of thousands of roofs in every major city in Queensland that don't have a solar hot water system on them," Mr Hutcheon said.
"How many jobs could be created by a program of putting solar panels and solar hot water on all those roofs?" he asked.
"It creates local regional jobs and it has the effect of reducing energy costs for all those households."
The Premier promised 200,000 solar-powered hot water systems for Queensland during the March State Election.
The ACTU and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in October 2008 published a "Green Gold Rush" policy statement predicting the number of green jobs in Australia could increase from 112,000 to 500,000 by 2030.
This would include jobs in renewable energy, sustainable water, biomaterials, green buildings, waste and recycling.
Mr Hutcheon said it was clear Queensland's economy was vulnerable as prices for mineral exports fell.
"And it is likely that we will see a decline in demand as countries look to find alternatives other than using coal," he said.
QCC co-ordinator Toby Hutcheon said he acknowledged the job losses predicted by Australia's peak mining organisation in Queensland's mining industry as a result of an emission trading scheme.
However Mr Hutcheon said he did not accept this meant a shift to nuclear energy as a green source of producing electricity, saying Queensland had just two per cent of Australia's uranium reserves.
He said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh should instead build on her plans - announced in the State Budget - to produce local and regional jobs through a grass-roots solar hot water installation program.
"Uranium mining is not a big earner and it is not a big job creator for a start," Mr Hutcheon said.
"And the key issue is that now almost all of Queensland's uranium deposits were under water at the beginning of this year.
"And with floods set to become more regular we have a resource that is essentially in an inappropriate location.
"And it would be inappropriate to develop it.
"You could have old tailings dams running into the rivers and creeks."
Mr Hutcheon said the impact of an emission trading scheme on Queensland's carbon-intensive mining industry should be replaced by a bigger investment in industries linked to solar power.
"You have hundreds of thousands of roofs in every major city in Queensland that don't have a solar hot water system on them," Mr Hutcheon said.
"How many jobs could be created by a program of putting solar panels and solar hot water on all those roofs?" he asked.
"It creates local regional jobs and it has the effect of reducing energy costs for all those households."
The Premier promised 200,000 solar-powered hot water systems for Queensland during the March State Election.
The ACTU and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in October 2008 published a "Green Gold Rush" policy statement predicting the number of green jobs in Australia could increase from 112,000 to 500,000 by 2030.
This would include jobs in renewable energy, sustainable water, biomaterials, green buildings, waste and recycling.
Mr Hutcheon said it was clear Queensland's economy was vulnerable as prices for mineral exports fell.
"And it is likely that we will see a decline in demand as countries look to find alternatives other than using coal," he said.
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