GOVERNMENT SENATORS' RESERVATION

Government Senators Chapman, Ferguson and Macdonald have given the most careful consideration to the recommendation for creation of a Commonwealth Uranium Authority.

They support a number of the objectives which are being sought by this instrument. In particular, they endorse the view that Australia must maintain and enhance its good record in uranium mining and milling, whether it be in terms of minimising impact on the environment or employee health and safety. Moreover, they support the view that it is in everybody's interest that uranium mining and milling in Australia should always adopt best practice promptly (there has not so far been any evidence that this has not in any case been so). They also consider that there may well be advantage in independent public audits of environmental performance every three to five years.

The Government Senators are unconvinced that the creation of a new national authority, even on the clearly defined basis proposed, is a necessary or effective mechanism for the achievement of these goals. They consider that the existing basis for regulation of mining has proven to be both satisfactory and suitable. There is no evidence of unnecessary overlap or duplication. Indeed, harmonisation of procedures seems to be a practical objective of all governments. In a strategic sense the Commonwealth is a major participant in both environment and health and safety aspects. It is not clear that a more institutionalised regulatory presence will be an advance and may even be detrimental in that it creates conditions for inter-governmental bickering without benefit to either the industry, its employees or the environment. For these reasons they do not believe that a new national instrumentality is warranted.

Their hesitation also derives from disagreement with the underlying, if unstated, assumption that problems are best dealt with by adding new layers of government, regulation, supervision and bureaucracy. Their view is that this is a misapprehension of considerable and serious proportions.

If State machinery is perceived to be inadequate, the appropriate course is to identify the weaknesses, their causes and the needed remedies. Reaching out for another organisation, from another level of government more removed from the scene of activity, may be superficially attractive but there can not be any assurance that it is a real answer: it may amount to no more than transferring the problem. There is always the question of why such a body would be able to avoid the deficiencies of other organisations whose performance is believed to be wanting.

Moreover, those Senators do not share the Committee's concern that the present structure provides inadequate scientific authority to provide affirmations of the standard or quality of performance at the Olympic Dam Operation of the type provided for Ranger by the Supervising Scientist. For example, Dr Keith Lokan, Director, Australian Radiation Laboratory, told the Committee that he had "considerable respect for the quality of the Olympic Dam operations in the way in which they have managed radiation safety over the years. They are quite dedicated. They take it seriously. It is not something that they go through because they have to. They genuinely believe in it and do it quite well." (11 February 1997, 1086).

Furthermore, although not of comparable scientific authority, The Advertiser (Adelaide) has also stated that "WMC, a sophisticated corporate citizen, has previously demonstrated that, while [it is] not afraid of a confrontation, it prefers to accommodate potentially critical constituencies. It specifically addresses itself to the concerns of environmentalists, Aboriginal interests and others" (16 July 1996).

While remaining unconvinced regarding the need for a Commonwealth Uranium Authority, Senators Chapman, Ferguson and Macdonald believe that the industry and Government should seriously consider the proposed consultative committees in their own right, rather than as a complement to that unnecessary structure. Indeed, they believe such committees would adequately provide the additional scrutiny of uranium mining regarded as necessary by those senators supporting the proposal for a Commonwealth authority.