Time for Gillard to follow Rann's lead and end the charade on uranium sales to India

21/10/11

Outgoing South Australian Premier Mike Rann has further exposed the hypocrisy at the heart of the Gillard Government’s ban on uranium exports to India, Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources Ian Macfarlane said.

“On his day of departure it’s little wonder Mike Rann has felt free to end the charade about the Labor Party’s nonsense refusal to allow the sale of uranium to India under the same terms, conditions and safeguards as Australia sells uranium to other nations, including China,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“It’s all well and good for Mr Rann to see the light and join the Coalition in supporting the supply of uranium to India for clean energy generation , but what about the rest of his Labor colleagues?

“It’s the Gillard Government that has the final say on this matter and it persists with its ideological ban, irrespective of the damage it will continue to cause to Australia’s relationship with one of our biggest trading partners.

“Instead of punishing Australian households and businesses with its toxic carbon tax and putting in place anti-competitive barriers for Australian exporters, the Gillard Government would be far more effective in encouraging significant reductions of global greenhouse gas emissions by allowing India to use Australian uranium for peaceful, energy generation purposes.

“For as long as the Gillard Government persists with its ban on uranium sales to India it will be just more evidence that the Labor Party is driven by self-obsession and hypocrisy, running to an increasingly Greens-dominated agenda no matter the cost to the Australian energy and resources sector or the national economy.”