Hughes Gareth: General Debate 
Hughes Gareth: General Debate 
[Volume:664;Page:12325] 
GARETH HUGHES (Green) 
: 
 Kia ora Mr Assistant Speaker. Right now the  
Paranagua Express 
 carrying tonnes of radioactive uranium ore is sitting there berthed at the Port of Auckland. It is proof of our support for the international nuclear cycle and it is mocking our nuclear-free status. This ship and the others that will be transhipping through our ports almost weekly undermine our proud nuclear-free history and the blood sweat and tears of the thousands of Kiwis who in the 1980s fought to entrench our nuclear-free status on the world stage. Radioactive uranium ore is more than Australian dirt as Nick Smith alleges. It is a radioactive material that puts our people at risk harms Australians damages the environment and is possibly involved in the most egregious industry of all—the nuclear weapons industry. We need an urgent moratorium on these shipments. But what does the Government say to Kiwis? It says “Let them eat yellowcake.” 
Earlier this year the Environmental Risk Management Authority decided to routinely trans-ship uranium ore from Australia stored in 44 gallon drums through the ports of Auckland Tauranga Napier and Nelson en route to various nations. The ore is a radioactive powder that gets turned into either fuel rods or enriched uranium. The risks locally are probably smaller than say from a fuel-oiled tanker or from the plutonium shipments in the Tasman Sea that I alerted the House to last week. But the risks are there and the risks are genuine. Accidents do happen especially at sea. Fires can rage for days and cargo can move around on board splitting open containers. Our ports and our port workers are not equipped to deal with radioactive spills. 
Regardless of local risks New Zealand should not be part of or support the nuclear chain or allow into the country the raw materials needed for nuclear generation because of the huge impact that uranium mining has on the Australian environment its communities and its workers. Doctors say that 30 to 50 percent of men who have worked in the uranium mines in Australia have developed lung cancer and have died. If they wear respirators it makes no difference because the radon gas still gets through even if the powder does not. Much of the darker side of uranium mining in Australia is left unsaid as employees in the larger businesses are forced to sign non-disclosure clauses before they start work. There are many stories of spills that employees are too intimidated to put on the record. 
Uranium mining is environmentally destructive. For every tonne of uranium produced hundreds of tonnes of radioactive and toxic waste or tailings are left behind. South Australia’s Olympic Dam for example consumes 33 million litres of water every day and is one of the largest users in that dry country. The Queensland branch of the Electrical Trades Union has recently banned its members from working in the uranium mines or in the nuclear industry. Until it can be proved that none of the uranium in our ports is contributing to nuclear weapons we need a moratorium. 
The Australian Government says that its uranium is used for only peaceful purposes. However this has been challenged repeatedly. Australia cannot and will not guarantee that its uranium will not be turned into nuclear weapons or depleted uranium; nor does the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office keep track of Australian uranium. The International Atomic Energy Agency suffers from a want of funds and is prevented from making spot inspections. Australia has sold to non-proliferation treaty members such as Taiwan. Even when Australia does sell to non-proliferation member States there is no way of tracking the onselling to non-members. As I tabled in this House last week a report from energyscience.org.au illustrates that Australian uranium enables countries to advance nuclear weapons by freeing up scarce domestic reserves. Australia sells its uranium to nuclear weapon States and purposefully closes its eyes to the uses of its uranium; New Zealand should not be a link. Although the weapons-grade link is murky and secretive and we cannot ascertain whether or how many grams or kilos of Australian uranium has been turned into weapons I can guarantee that every single gram will be disposed of as waste and pose a hazard for millions of years. 
In the 1980s New Zealand stood up and spoke truth to power. We said no to nuclear weapons and no to nuclear-powered ships in our ports. Yet at the same time we continued to allow uranium to trans-ship through our ports—a fact we found out only recently—seemingly without any officials or elected representatives being aware of that. This trade is being conducted behind closed doors like so many of the nuclear energy and weapons programmes internationally. Why were the public not consulted? We need an investigation into these issues. I hope to bring before this House draft legislation to amend the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone Disarmament and Arms Control Act 1987 to prohibit New Zealand’s role in the nuclear cycle and I urge members to support it.