THE ASTEC REVIEW

In 1983 the Hawke Labor Government commissioned a report from the Australian Science and Technology Council on Australia's Role in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle. ASTEC reported in May 1984 that it was "satisfied that, overall, the agreements meet the existing policy requirements and, moreover, that those requirements are sufficiently comprehensive to provide as much control as can be realistically expected and therefore a high degree of reassurance that Australia's safeguards objectives are being attained:

. . . We are satisfied that Australian uranium, including nuclear material derived from it, is adequately accounted for under the provisions and Administrative Arrangements of the Australian bilateral safeguards agreements; and that such material is being used solely for peaceful purposes in accordance with the agreements. (ASTEC Report, May 1984, 171-2)

ASTEC recommended that: Australia take steps to ensure that, after export, nuclear materials extracted for nuclear purposes from Australian ores, would become subject to a safeguards agreement to which Australia is a party; Australia seek physical protection agreements with countries through which Australian nuclear material is transported and with which it does not have a safeguards agreement; and that it seek agreement from bilateral partners to publish the texts of Administrative Arrangements.

The Government accepted these recommendations, the first two being implemented where appropriate whilst the third is still the subject of negotiation with a number of bilateral partners.

Apart from these recommendations ASTEC stated that any additional measures "would serve

only to compound the commercial and administrative burden, without improving safeguards

controls or assurances" (ASTEC, 171-2).

Also as a consequence of the ASTEC review, Australia ratified the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material on 22 September 1987.

THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION (SAFEGUARDS) ACT 1987

In another move the Labor Government decided to place the Director of Safeguards on a statutory footing. This was achieved through the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (Safeguards) Act 1987. The effect of the legislation was to "bring all nuclear material and associated items in Australia under strict control by establishing a system of permits for the possession and transport of nuclear material and items such as equipment and material used in nuclear reactors" (S 60, 44).