TL: THE URANIUM MINING INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA SO: GREENPEACE AUSTRALIA (N.S.W.) (GP) 787 George Street Sydney NSW 2000 DT: 1992 KEYWORDS: terrec nuclear power uranium mining greenpeace groups australia australasia gp factsheets / THE URANIUM MINING INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA Northern Territory: Ranger Nabarlek Jabiluka Koongarra Rum Jungle South Australia: Roxby Downs Honeymoon Beverly Radium Hill Queensland: Ben Lomond Mary Kathleen Western Australia: Yeelirre Smaller deposits in WA URANIUM MINING IN AUSTRALIA Report for The Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Conference Vanuatu July 9-19th, 1983. by Michelle Sheather Though Australia has over 25% of the western world's uranium reserves, only two mines, Ranger and Nabarlek, are currently exporting uranium. Three more mines have operated in the past, while there are a number of mines that may/will come into production in the future. These are Jabiluka and Koongarra in the Northern Territory and the huge development of Roxby Downs in South Australia. The government has recently given approval for this mine to go ahead. The uranium industry may be somewhat more uncertain since the election of the Australian Labor Party, ALP, it is by no means closed. Original ALP policy was to not allow any new mines to develop and to phase out existing ones. Now the anti-nuclear movement within the ALP is struggling to have new export licenses revoked. In Australia we see one of our major contributions to stopping nuclear colonialism and to halting the arms race is to stop the mining of uranium. The key issues of Aboriginal Land Rights and uranium mining are inextricably linked. All uranium mining occurs on or near Aboriginal Sacred Sites. In this report each major uranium mine /deposit has been examined. Due to unique circumstances surrounding the mines and different state Land Rights Legislation, to give a critical view of the industry it is necessary to look at the mines individually. NORTHERN TERRITORY These four mines are all located in or around Kakadu National Park in the far north of the Northern Territory. Kakadu has been declared a World Heritage Area, yet within this area uranium mining continues. Ranger Size: 110000 tonnes Method of mining: Open cut Workforce: 1560 initially, 250-400 permanent Ownership: Energy Resources of Australia, owned by Peko-Wallsend 30.8% and EZ Industries 30.8% Ranger is the second largest uranium mine of its type in the world, and the largest mine yet to operate in Australia. In November 1981 Ranger was closed for a breach of operating procedures. Tailings material had surfaced and had created small islands in the tailings dam. This resulted from a failure to relocate the discharge pipe at suitable intervals. Regulations stated that all tailings material should be covered by a minimum of two metres of water. General agreement is that this stipulation is not too stringent. It is most important that the tailings do not dry out and so allow the ready evolution of radon daughters and create a radioactive dust hazard. In October 1982 bore water samples downstream from Ranger registered radium levels 100 times higher than expected. When challenged on this ERA retorted that the survey had been conducted by a junior officer and could not be considered valid. In March this year leaks from the tailings dam were reported. When constructed the dam was not built down to the bedrock, ground water is flowing directly under the tailings dam and high piezometric pressure levels have been recorded. Nabarlek Size: 12000 tonnes Method of mining: Open cut Permanent jobs: 103 Ownership: Queensland Mines 100%, foreign investment controlled by Pioneer Concrete The mine has not been a mecca of employment for Aboriginal people. A Department of Aboriginal Affairs report released in May 1982 shows that there are just thirteen Aboriginees working at Nabarlek comprising one garbageman, two lawn maintenance men, two part-time cleaners, one Aboriginal Liason Officer's assistant, two operators and five trainees on a road repair gang. About the same number are employed at Ranger in similar positions. In March 1981 an unknown amount of contaminated water spilled from a retention pond at the mine, as heavy rains swept across Arnhem Land. The spillage went unreported for four months. Though the spillage according to Queensland mines was not enough to 'warrant concern' it was definitely enough to shatter the so- called no release policy the company promised for the mine. Koongarra also has a no-release policy. The Nabarlek deposit is beside the site of 'Gabo Djang' the Green Ant Dreaming sacred place. Queensland Mines has built a yellow cake concentration plant and a 300m long mine right by this sacred site. Under present ALP policy new export licences for the Ranger and Nabarlek mines should not be considered yet the Deputy Prime Minister Lionel Bowen unilaterally decided that they could be granted. At this moment due to pressure from the Left and Centre of the ALP this decision is to be reviewed. It is a far outcry from the original policy of phasing out uranium mining in Australia completely. Jabiluka Size: 206000 tonnes Method of mining: Underground Permanent jobs: approx. 880 Ownership: Pancontinental 65%, Getty Oil 35% Like Queensland Mines, Pancontinental is said to be an Australian Company, hence it escapes the restrictions usually placed on foreign companies. Getty Oil is said to dominate and is providing all the finance, except for the initial $3 million. More than ten of the top 20 shareholders in Pancon are nominee companies. Meetings between mining representatives and traditional owners had been underway on and off for more than a year. Negotiations became more frequent and of longer duration as decision day for the project approached. Traditional owners received little support from organisations and unions from southern states. Word of the large anti-nuclear movement in the larger cities does not reach the isolated communities of the NT Aboriginees. Mining companies tend to play on this and claim to the Aboriginal people that they are insularly holding back 'Australia's' mining development. While Jabiluka was given the go ahead by the Fraser Liberal Government failure to secure contracts prevented commencement of work at the mine. This year a contract has been signed between Britain's Central Electricity Generating Board, CEGB, and Pancon for $130 million to supply at least 4.3 million pounds of uranium oxide from the Jabiluka reserve. British Nuclear Fuels says the agreement is seen as a first step in a long and continuing relationship with Australia. The contract only represents 6% of the reserve's potential sales. Under ALP policy this mine should not be allowed to proceed. Pancon have suspended contracts for initial road work in the area till next year. Koongarra Size: 13300 tonnes Method of mining: Open cut Ownership: Denison Mines 100% Denison have invested more than $50 million when they purchased Koongarra from Noranda in 1980. The second Fox Report (Ranger Inquiry) had this to say on the state of Koongarra,"Our view is that if Noranda operations were carried out in accordance with present plans they would themselves constitute a serious danger to the environment." The Fox Report then went on to state,"The operation of the Noranda mine concurrently with the Ranger and Nabarlek mines would involve bringing into the region an excessive number of Europeans. Norand should therefore not be allowed to proceed." But that was five years ago and things have changed. Denison not Noranda now owns the mine. Because the existing lease are purchased from Noranda does not fit Denison's needs, Denison have petitioned the commonwealth to alter the boundaries to fit the project as it is today. The revised lease intrudes on National Park land which has been successfully claimed under the 1976 Land Rights Act. Originally the Court ruled that all traditional owners must approve for the mine to go ahead. Strong opposition had been pressurised down to eight Aboriginal people objecting to negotiations. The Alderson family had been relentless in their opposition to Koongarra, they are presently boycotting the meetings between Denison officials, the Northern Land Council and the traditional owners. Last reports indicate that some agreement had been reached between Denison and the land owners. No anthropological study has been given to the Aboriginal people involved, hence there has been a monopolising of actually who is traditional owners of the Koongarra area. The implications of Koongarra obtaining approval extend far beyond this mine. There are many deposits discovered but not yet leased scattered throughout the region. Koongarra is on a totally different drainage basin to the other mines, mining of this lease would open up another major river system to possible pollution. The area is one of the highest rainfall areas in the world. The mining plan is for a no release water system, the question is whether such an objective can be achieved. The protection offered to the environment is base on the supposition that there will be no accidents and no unforeseen hazards. Koongarra is situated right in the heart of Kakadu, it is also upstream from the Woolwonga Wildlife Sanctuary. Any contamination threatens to quote the Fox Report "the most important refuge and habitat for aquatic wildlife in the world." Rum Jungle (1954-1971) Size: 5000 tonnes Ownership: Conzinc, now part of CRA and Rio Tinto Zinc Rum Jungle supplied uranium for the first British atom bombs in the fifties. An area of 100 square kms of the Finnis River Flood Plain has been contaminated by heavy metals, uranium, radium and sulphur. No compensation has been given to the Finnis River land owners though claims have been lodged. *It is important to note that in the Northern Territory Aboriginal people have never been given veto over the mining companies only the right to negotiate. Arnhem land where the mines are found, was claimed under the 1976 Land Rights Act but the mining leases of Ranger, Nabarlek, Jabiluka and Koongarra were all granted before this date. They could proceed regardless of Aboriginal consent. SOUTH AUSTRALIA Roxby Downs Size: 1.2 million tonnes Method of mining: Underground Direct jobs: 2,430 Ownership: British Petroleum 49%, Western Mining Corporation 51% Roxby Downs is a mixed deposit of uranium, copper, gold, silver and rare earths. It is potentially the largest uranium in the world. An agreement between the South Australian Labor government and the joint venturers (BP and Western Mining Corporation) called the Indenture Bill means that the state will provide services costing more than $50 million. Unlike other mining projects, royalties will not be paid on each tonne of minerals extracted. Instead royalties will be paid according to profit levels. The uranium you mine when you're not mining uranium The ALP government has created a loophole in their policy specifically for the Roxby Downs uranium mine. The Hogg Amendment, as it is known, states that when uranium occurs incidentally with other minerals then mining will be allowed to proceed. Gold, copper and rare earths also occur at Roxby Downs hence this mine has been granted approval by the ALP government. For these reasons the Coalition for a Nuclear Free Australia (CNFA) is holding a blockade at the mine site from August 27th, 1983. The Coalition is comprised of anti-nuclear, Aboriginal and women's and trade union groups around the country. The anti-nuclear movement has been mounting a determined opposition to Roxby Downs for several years. Formal submissions and delegations have failed, we now feel it is time for a direct action campaign. The mining companies have ignored an independent report prepared for the traditional land owners of the area, tile Kokatha people. The main mining shaft has been drilled right through a sacred site. The SA government has recently approved the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). They have pledged $26,000 to allow the Aboriginal people to conduct their own anthropological study. The Kokatha Peoples Committee is pleased the government has acknowledged the necessity for this work. However the Kokatha people are not satisfied that this alone will guarantee any protection of the sites and other areas of special significance. Honeymoon Size: 3,400 tonnes of U308 Method of mining: In-situ leaching (solution mining) Permanent jobs: 50 Ownership: Colonial Sugar Refineries (CSR) 25.5%, Teton Drilling Pty. 12.75%, North Kalgurli Mines 12.75% and others. It is not often we can bring you good news about the uranium mining industry in Australia. But in late March this year the South Australian Government in line with federal ALP policy decided not to grant mining leases for the Honeymoon and Beverley uranium mines in the state's north-east. Honeymoon's operators have not stated whether the mine will be kept 'on hold' under a retention lease the government has offered them, or be scrapped. The Campaign against Nuclear Energy in SA released documents alleging a leakage of radioactive water at the Honeymoon mine site. Though denied by the operators, one company official stated that they were altering the concentration of acid solution because they had not found the right formula. All this was unknown to the Department of Mines and energy. The controversial method of mining, in-situ leaching, involves pumping 12,000 gallons of sulphuric acid and other chemical solutions through the ore body to extract the uranium. In May 1982 the Coalition for a Nuclear Free Australia held an occupation at the mine site. 500 people attended. This protest definitely contributed to the eventual closure of this mine and nearby Beverly. Let us hope that we can once again achieve this at Roxby Downs. Beverly Size: 15.8 million kgs of U308 of ore of 2.37 grams tonne Method of mining: In-situ leaching Ownership: Western Uranium Ltd 50%, Oilmin NL 16.6%, Petromin NL 16.6%, Transoil BL 16.6% 30 kms east of Mt Painter in the Lake Frome area. This mine also was to use in-situ leaching. Located very close to the Great Artesian Water Basin such a method of mining would prove to be very dangerous to contamination of ground water. SA minister for Mines and Energy has confirmed that Beverly's operators are not allowed to continue experimenting with the leaching method. No anthropological consideration has been given to the Adjnarnathanha people whose tribal ground extends to both Beverly and Honeymoon uranium mines. Radium Hill (1946-1952) Uranium was mined here for British nuclear bombs. An incomplete NSW Government report shows that since 1960, 59% of those who worked underground of a period of two years died of cancer - a rate 4 1/2 times the Australian average. QUEENSLAND Ben Lomond Size: not published by Minatome. Reports vary too widely to form a reliable estimate. Method of raining: Underground Ownership: Minatome Australia Pty Ltd formerly Pechiney Expl. Pty Ltd 100% Ben Lomond is a wholly French owned uranium mine, 70kms west of Townsville in Northern Queensland. As from June 1983 the present government has stopped all uranium shipments to France. This is due to Australian opposition to the French nuclear testing program in French Polynesia. This was the final blow to Minatome. The tailings dam has been filled in and work has halted. Minatome was granted a lease over the uranium ore body in May 1980. Soon after they applied for 2035 additional hectares surrounding this area, for the purpose of the tailings dam, processing plant and waste rock dump. This proposal was opposed by Townsville Regional Conservation Centre who were supported by many local graziers and residents in the Charters Towers Mining Wardens Court. The grounds for objection included the inadequacy of Minatome's Environmental Impact Statement, public concern, importance of the area for recreation and as a catchment for the Birclekin River, and particularly the threat of toxic and radioactive pollution from tailings and waste from the mine. The Mining Warden decided that the lease application was unsatisfactory and it was not granted. Local opposition coupled with the depressed uranium market and ALP decision has resulted in the halt of this mine. Of course being in Queensland no traditional ownership is recognised. Mary Kathleen (1953-1982) Size: 7000 tonnes Method of Mining: Open cut Permanent jobs: 300 Ownership: Mary Kathleen Uranium Ltd (CRA Ltd 51%, Australian Energy Commission 41.64%. others 7.36%) Mary Kathleen has recently closed down. It first operated from 1958 to 1963 and began its second production period in 1976 to 1982. Seepage occurred from the settling ponds and water storage areas, and runoff from roadways which used mine water to control dust. Cattle wandered freely over tailings pond areas. MKU has been the target of successful anti-uranium union action. Considerable ore has been left in the ground deemed uneconomic by the management as a result of depressed uranium markets. WESTERN AUSTRALIA Yeeliree Reserves: 33.8 million tonnes of ore grading 14% U308 Method of mining: Open cut Permanent jobs: 850 Ownership: Western Mining Corporation 75%, Urangesellschaft 10% the other 15% was held by Esso (Exon), they have pulled out of this venture WMC are the same company that have shares in Roxby Downs. A pilot plant is operating at Yeeliree. At this time it looks like the mine will not go ahead. WMC have not been able to find another shareholder to replace Esso. WMC are trying to get around ALP policy in two ways: WMC claim that uranium can also be mined incidentally at Yeeliree as zirconium and rare earths are also to be found at the deposit, (Hogg amendment ALP policy). They also claim that Yeeliree is already in production because they have produced yellow cake. None has been exported. There are a number of other small deposits in WA which are not near approval stage. These are: Lake Mason, Lake Maitland,Lake Raeside, and Thatcher's Soak. They are all solely owned by Cultus Pacific NL. Minindi-Moolo Downs is owned by Cliffminex NL. The Lake Way deposit is owned by Westinghouse Electric 51%, Van Ltd 24.1% and Delhi Oil Corporation 24.9%.