Indian nuclear deal a dangerous dud
The Australian Greens say Tony Abbott is dealing the entire world a bad hand by sending Australian uranium to India.
"Uranium is not like copper and iron ore. It is a strategic mineral and a trade that Australia should be getting out of," said Greens nuclear spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam.
"It's extraordinary that Tony Abbott is signing a nuclear deal with India in the same week Australia has suspended future uranium exports to Russia due to security concerns.
"Tony Abbott's tour with his entourage of uranium executives just proves again that he's governing for mining interests, at the expense of genuine community interests.
"Former Indian officials have said themselves that the Indian government is reserving foreign uranium for its civil nuclear power program, which has a terrible safety record, so that it can use domestic uranium supplies for plutonium production.
"Australia should not be opening up a new line of atomic instability with India, which has refused to sign up to international legal agreements on non-proliferation and disarmament. No safeguards agreement in the world can protect against a country that's doing that," said Senator Ludlam.
"The prospect of selling uranium to another nuclear power is incredibly cavalier. Instead, Australia should be tapping into the extraordinary potential of Indian solar sector, which is finally achieving results at scale."
