the uranium industry to be publicly owned and under the control of a democratic public commission

that no Australian uranium goes to any nation to manufacture any form of nuclear weapon

rigid enforcement of safety, health and environment measures not less that those laid down by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Such measures subject to control by the public commission and that the uranium industry to provide full protection of the rights and interests of the Aboriginal people including land and mineral rights.

It has been a long time since The Guardian presented any of this policy when discussing the peaceful use of the uranium industry.

Even the Howard Government is jumping on the bandwagon calling for a nuclear power station in Australia. OK he doesn’t have the same basis as we have but at least he understands that greenhouse emissions require that the world turn to nuclear power.

Already over 441 nuclear reactors are operating in 31 countries which shows the safety factor. In Japan today they have a "generation 3" reactor operating since 1996 which produces relatively cheap electricity, less waste, and meltdown is virtually impossible.

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) could make arguments about uranium mining and nuclear waste redundant. It aims to replace messy fission nuclear reactors that use uranium with relatively clean fusion reactors that don’t. A consortium of US, Russia, China, Japan, Korea and the European Union designed a fusion reactor in December, 2005 and have announced they would build it at Cadarche, southern France.

Australian scientists have formed the Australian ITER Forum to try to secure a role for Australia in ITER.

Regarding the waste, Australia developed the "glassification method" of containing the waste and this has world recognition. Advocates opposing the peaceful use of nuclear power speak in dramatic terms of the huge waste having to be disposed of. The fact is that there is not that much waste anyway. I quote from Ockam’s Razor, 9-10-05:

"First let’s examine how much waste power plants produce. Consider production of 24,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. That is one megawatt day. A typical household consumes that over 2 or 3 years. To provide that, a coal-fired power station will output more than 14 tonnes of carbon dioxide, while a nuclear station will output about 80 grams of used fuel rod to produce the same megawatt day. The 14 tonnes of carbon dioxide gas occupies 7,000 cubic metres, more than 2 Olympic swimming pools full, while the 80 grams of fuel rod fills only a heaped spoon."

It’s time our party set its demands on the table for the useful use of nuclear energy. OK we have a lot of work to do to see the industry is public owned and under the control of a democratic public commission. Nevertheless it remains an important part of the policy.

We need to have a more forthright approach to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and off-set those forces which try to make it a nonsense. The military use of nuclear weapons is the area where we must call for their complete scrapping. Yes to the peaceful atom — No to a military atom.

On the proposal of Bob Hawke’s last year saying Australia should consider becoming a repository for other people’s nuclear waste, the Ockham’s Razor article shows that Australia fits the bill on the six requirements. "200,000 tonnes would occupy a space of 100 metres by 100 metres by 10 metres high, with lots of rock fill in between. If you took a one-square kilometre site, this spot would be one per cent of the area. There are cattle stations in Australia which have areas exceeding 600 square kilometres. But none that yield revenues approaching $US750 million per annum".

As an article in The Advertiser, 27-5-06, quoting Ian Plimer, Professor of Mining Geology at the University of Adelaide, noting the debate by Prime Minister Howard, said: "If a country like Australia (is) mining, benefitiating (processing ore by reduction), leasing and taking the waste, we would be controlling the nuclear industry. We can have a really hi-tech industry which does not go for 20 years, it is going to go for hundreds of years. It puts SA in the box seat if they want to be in the box seat."

Beryl Miller
Adelaide, SA

Nuclear so last century

Everything this government touches develops a certain predictability — creates golden opportunities for a few and precious nothing for the majority of the population. Privatisation of public assets is nothing but highway robbery. Airport taxes are sometimes higher than airfares; tolls are everywhere and public transport is being run down. Military helicopters don’t fly, bribery and corruption is rife, doctors can’t be trained so you have to poach other countries’ specialists, skills are being lost while young people struggle to get an education or training — you name it, it needs fixing. And the government meanwhile keeps on saying that "private enterprise" will fix it and governments should not interfere.

Private enterprise is not going to fix anything of any importance. Besides it does not seem to exist without constant public handouts. The much lauded (by some) private-public partnership is just a con to siphon off taxpayers’ money.

Snowy Hydro is being sold off — slyly, surreptitiously, underhandedly.

When Mr Howard suddenly announced in Canada that Australia would build a nuclear power station, one of the first reactions coming from a Senator in WA was that the government should butt out of the project and leave it to private enterprise to do. Excuse me? Did I miss something? Is the deal already done with some US company to build a nuclear station?

The debate we should have about clean energy in Australia should not be centred on nuclear energy. This is a last century solution, especially for Australia.

Australia has the biggest nuclear reactor in the world — the Sun. Technology exists to turn it into practical use. I heard Dr Karl Kruszelniki on the radio last night mention an Australian scientist who had to go Germany to set up the production of efficient solar elements — he could not get any funding here.

Yes, Australia is a small country in terms of population and production on a mass scale is difficult. But how difficult is it to supply neighbouring countries with advanced technology and product and get the volume that way?

China is building an environmentally friendly and sustainable city. If it proves to be successful it is planning to build many more. Things can be done and should be done for the benefit of the people and the planet we live on.

To expect that this government will do what’s good for the country is ridiculous. The only thing they care about are their mates in high and well-paid places.

So it’s up to us to organise and keep on fighting for the common good. Nobody will do it for us. And let’s not be distracted by politicians’ tricks and lies. Let’s not fall into a little trap set up by our dear leader Mr Howard and start fighting each other about in which backyard a nuclear station should be located. Alternative energy supply does not equal nuclear power. We have to move with the times and demand the best science can offer now.

Bob Marchant
Sandringham, Vic

Don’t just blame
the East Timorese Government

Those who support the new nation of East Timor realise that its first government has made a number of mistakes. However, it is all very well for John Howard and other detractors to make scathing comments.

It must be realised that East Timor has inherited many dire problems which were not all of its own making.

For 24 years, while the Indonesian military was carrying out genocide that saw the one third of the population perish, the world community turned its back. The war on terror had not officially started!

In 1999, when it was decided that the remaining two thirds of the Timorese who survived should have a democratic vote to determine their future, it was John Howard and Alexander Downer who insisted that the TNI should police the operation. Viewers of the mini series Answered by Fire know what happened. The TNI with the militias they recruited, trained and armed, killed at least 2,000 more Timorese, destroyed 80 percent of the country’s infrastructure and put the lives of many UN personnel at risk.

Despite this, the courageous East Timorese gained their independence albeit with their country in ruins. The TNI has never been forced to compensate for its murderous and destructive actions and the world community has stood by and allowed the criminals to escape justice. These perpetrators are still committing crimes in West Papua and Aceh and they remain a great threat to East Timor’s fragile security.

Many wished the UN to extend its peace keeping mission in East Timor longer and it was the Australian Government that was one of the strongest voices that argued that it should not continue.

Since the TNI departed in 1999, there has been much drilling of oil and natural gas in Timor’s half of the Timor Sea. The Australian Government has taken nearly $3 billion revenue that rightly belongs to ET. This money is needed to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, provide humanitarian programs and to maintain a viable defence force to maintain Timor’s sovereignty.

The reduction in defence force numbers was a major causal factor in the recent unrest and, yes, the process could have been handled much more wisely by the Mari Alkatiri Government. However, it has to be said that, some other players, including Australian leaders, could also have shown more wisdom, support and compassion towards the young nation than what they did.

It is good that Australia is again playing a major role to restore security again in Timor. Let us make sure that this time, the support lasts longer to ensure until security becomes more viable and that the countries involved in this exercise respect East Timor’s sovereignty on both land and sea.

Andrew (Andy) Alcock
Information Officer Australia East Timor Friendship Association (SA) Inc

The shocking case
of Newington College Stanmore

As a teacher of many years and much of that time spent in schools like Newington College I am appalled that such a school is promoting a "dog-eat-dog" approach to relations with its teachers. All schools regardless of their wealth and prestige need a good spirit of cooperation between staff and administration to make a school a "good school". This spirit infuses the whole school community and affects all in that school. The students catch that spirit and then the students shine and exhibit the creativity of youth and demonstrate the undoubted talents which the young of this country possess.

The short word for all this is "collegiality" and it is essential for a "good school" but the Newington Headmaster infected with the pervasive selfish virus from the Howard Government has taken a sledge hammer to the good relations with his staff.

In my present school we have a saying on the wall of the staffroom which reads "the spirit of the staffroom is the spirit of the school". The spirit in the staff room of Newington must be toxic and it may remain so for years. Any parent considering sending their child to Newington in the near future might reconsider.

The Principal of Newington wants to pay teachers at different rates in accordance with "WorkChoices" despite that legislation’s anti-Christian motivation and elevation of selfishness at the expense of colleagues. One of the bases of Christianity is community yet when given the chance a "top Christian", the Head of Newington acts like a greedy corporate rogue of the 19th century who sacks workers and depresses their livelihoods for the benefit of profit.

Replace the black dragon of the Newington logo with the black dog of depression thanks to a heartless and uncaring head.

Denis Doherty
A member and school rep for IEU at a North Shore school

In answer to
Rob Gowland’s article May 3

My intelligent old aunt calls herself a Communist-Catholic or vice versa. I’m very impressed with your newspaper, but the general ideology of communism, that is that if one has belief and faith in a Creator then there would be no place for that in a communist state.

I think that a lot of aversion to religion within the Commo Party comes from the pretence of such people as GW Bush, Blair, Howard, Ruddock as Christians but they most certainly are not, they are so-called "christians" and most people who call themselves Christians are no more Christian than the average atheist.

So I think a lot of people are unindividual enough to lump "christians" as Christians, and to let the above hypocrites deter good people from Life’s meaningful questions.

At this moment science/technology sees a great womb in the universe birthing Suns and that science has no answer to how the building blocs (little machines) built themselves.

Freud reckons all religions developed from totem poles.

Einstein spent the last 30 years of his life trying to prove in fact that everything is coming from a source.

Rob Gowland. Why did he not put God-fearing Americans and Australians in inverted commas?

Does he really think the US and Australia are even generally Christian countries? How bizarre if he does.

Ken Austen
Redfern NSW

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