Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes:

     (i)   the ongoing crisis and radiation leaks from the severely damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex,

     (ii)   that on 12 April 2011 the nuclear disaster reached INES [International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale] disaster level 7, the worst possible type of nuclear event due to cumulative radiation releases and contamination of the air, soil, water and food,

     (iii)   the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization and specialist research institutes have documented radiation from Fukushima spreading to Korea, China, Russia, Europe, the United States of America and Australia,

     (iv)   that seabed, air and soil samples taken in the region record alarming radiation levels that are hundreds of times higher than previously detected in and around Fukushima,

     (v)   the 7 June 2011 report from Japan to the United Nations indicating that fuel in three Fukushima's reactors have melted through the containment structure,

     (vi)   the report tabled on 6 June 2011 by Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency that doubled the figure for the radiation it believed was released into the atmosphere in the first 6 days, from 370 000 terabecquerels to 770 000,

     (vii)   the 3 June 2011 disclosure that Japanese authorities had suppressed the 12 March 2011 finding of radioactive tellurium 6 kilometres from Fukushima, the presence of which indicates that the temperature of the fuel rods was more than 1 000 degrees and that a meltdown had commenced before the emergency ventilation of the unit 1 reactor containment, and

     (viii)   the Declaration by the International Atomic Energy Agency Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety in Vienna of 20 June 2011; and

  (b)   calls on the Australian Government to:

     (i)   maintain the interdepartmental emergency task force coordinating Australian nuclear expertise and equipment to measure detectable levels of radiation, model the plumes and provide advice to the Australian Government,

     (ii)   publicly disclose all data held by Australian authorities on inspection and monitoring efforts regarding radiation levels in the environment, including radiation levels in the surface of soil, rain water, tap water, food and air, exposure to which is dangerous to human health, and

     (iii)   regularly update the Senate on findings by the interdepartmental emergency task force on all data collected by Australian nuclear experts and equipment.

I seek leave to make a short statement.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that I do not have support from either the government or the opposition on this motion, so I wanted to note briefly what this motion actually does, because I doubt many senators present have taken the time to read it. The motion does nothing more than state facts about the serious and ongoing nuclear disaster on the north-east Pacific coast of Japan. The motion notes a number of official government reports and statements and it notes that the disaster is the worst possible type of nuclear event. It notes that the radiation levels are seriously dangerous to human health and the environment in the long term. It also acknowledges and encourages Australian nuclear expertise—because we have a fair degree of that here in Australia—to keep gathering data.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Come on, Bob. I'll take the point of order if you won't.

Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald, if you listen you may learn something. No? That does not appear to be the case.

The motion also noted that the data should be made publicly available through the Australian Senate. It is simply an information-gathering request put to the chamber. It is extraordinary how in denial—

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. Senator Brown has just alerted us to the fact that there is a standing order that militates against reflection on a vote, and this senator is reflecting on a vote about to be taken. I thought Senator Brown would have been on his feet to take the point of order but, as he has not, I do it on behalf of Senator Brown.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that we do not have support for this motion. Since the chamber is not interested in understanding the facts on the ground in Japan, I would like to remind the chamber that there are 20 exposed nuclear cores at Fukushima, that a nuclear adviser to the Japanese government has reported that 966 square kilometres around the reactor site—an area 17 times the size of Manhattan—is now probably uninhabitable and that TEPCO have been spraying water onto volcanically hot reactors and fuel cores, so radiation is now emitted in an uncontrolled way in air and steam. These are some of the facts that the government and opposition do not seem willing to face. Perhaps I will put to this chamber future motions that will have a better result. In the meantime, can we reflect on why we do not appear to be interested in having this information on the public record?

Question put:

That the motion (Senator Ludlam's) be agreed to.

The Senate divided. [12:37]

(The PRESIDENT— Senator the Hon. JJ Hogg)

Question negatived.