Alice Springs says no uranium exploration at Angela Pamela
Document Actions
A community rally held three hours after the Northern Territory Government granted the exploration license for uranium exploration at Angela Pamela. The deposits are less than 25km from Alice Springs and situated within the water catchment boundary and water control district.
05:31
- Genres
- Categories
- Country
| Video information | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | ASAP collective |
| Directed by | ASAP collective |
| Contact | write the producer |
| Home page | more info |
| Produced | Jun 18, 2009 |
| Production Company | BNI |
Full Description
This film documents one snap action in Alice Springs, which is a snapshot of the vibrant community response to the Angela Pamela uranium proposal.
A Cameco-Paladin joint venture applied for a license to explore uranium at the Angela and Pamela deposits, 25kms south of Alice Springs, amidst a sharp increase in uranium exploration throughout Central Australia. This trend is strongly encouraged by the Northern Territory Government and Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson, who last month asserted new uranium mines are likely to open in the Northern Territory.
The Alice Springs Angela Pamela (ASAP) Collective formed in opposition to the exploration application and has organised public meetings, rallies, petitions, actions, film nights and other events to raise awareness about and directly challenge the progress of the proposal.
The Angela and Pamela deposits are located within the boundaries of the Alice Springs water catchment area and water control district. Uranium mining operations consume large volumes of water and there is a risk of contaminating surface and ground water sources.
Exploration and mining pose a significant risk to public health and local ecosystems. Workers, nearby communities and the environment will all be exposed to radioactive materials.
The areas around and including the Angela and Pamela sites have been identified in the Draft NT Parks master plan as holding national biodiversity and conservation significance. These areas should be reserved for low impact development such as tourism and not opened up for high impact projects like uranium mining.
Mining uranium is the first step in a nuclear chain which includes: unsafe, expensive, water intensive energy production; risk-prone transport of radioactive materials; inadequate safeguards against sale of uranium for nuclear weapons and production of radioactive waste which will remain dangerous for tens of thousands of years.
Nuclear power is promoted by industry and government and part of the “solution” to dangerous climate change. However, mining, transport, construction and decommissioning of power plants are all extremely carbon intensive. We support immediate transition from the heavily subsidised nuclear and fossil fuel industries to proven forms of renewable energy such as wind and solar, with greatly increased investment in research and development of all renewable technologies.
The ASAP collective believes a broad coalition of informed community members is crucial for successfully opposing Angela Pamela and other uranium proposals. We are seeking to facilitate diverse input into developing a strong community campaign and encourage everyone to come to meetings and contribute ideas.
Contact ASAP c/o Arid Lands Environment Centre in Alice Springs, 08 8952 2497.
