Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Why does the government urge other countries to sell their uranium to India but refuse to allow Australian uranium to be sold to India?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Trood for the question and will indicate to him what I indicated to the Senate I think only a matter of weeks ago in response to a similar question from the Greens. Perhaps Senator Trood was not in the chamber at the time. I indicated then that the Australian government has a policy which is to only allow the export of uranium to countries which are parties to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. We have made that clear. We made it clear in the lead-up to the election. We committed to that in the lead-up to the election and we have maintained that commitment in government. We do not believe that Australia ought to be exporting uranium to countries which are not party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and with which we do not have bilateral safeguard agreements.

This was the policy of the previous government for a long period, and then there was some confusion as to what their position was. Various former ministers seem to express different views about whether or not the previous government was prepared to export uranium to countries that were not members of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. We think that the architecture of international cooperation and safeguard, of which the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is a part, is important for protecting all of the world against the exploitation of uranium for nuclear energy in a way that might prove a danger to security. We think there ought to be this sort of framework, which has been supported for many years by both sides of politics until recently, in regard to exporting uranium.

We are very keen to maintain very strong relations with India. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Smith, visited India in the last week or so and reinforced the government’s commitment to a strong relationship with that country. I know from my own state of Western Australia that there has been a commitment under governments of both persuasions in the last 15 or 20 years to build stronger relations with India. We think it is important to build strong relations as India is an emerging power, just as our Chinese colleagues are. India and China are important trading partners for Australia. They are important emerging nations with large economies and they have a great deal of influence in international affairs.

We believe that the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is an important safeguard and that the policy of only exporting to countries which are members of the treaty is an important safeguard for the world against proliferation in nuclear weapons. We have encouraged countries that are interested in being involved in the nuclear processes to join the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and contribute to that strong international system of safeguards.

Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his heroic but rather unpersuasive efforts to try and explain the inconsistencies in the government’s policies. Does the government support the development of uranium mines in Queensland and Western Australia? If so, will the government allow Queensland and Western Australian uranium to be sold to India?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not sure why Senator Trood regards a statement of policy as heroic given that it was a policy of his government for many years. I do not know whether this again is something that has changed in opposition. The Labor Party went to the last election indicating that we would not sell or export uranium to countries that were not members of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The government, as it has in all other areas, is honouring its commitment. The approval for export of uranium, be it from whatever state, will be governed by those same regulations and international obligations that have been in place for many years and will be applied by this government.