[Kosh]

This is not a post-April fools day joke.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4871000.stm


I find it interesting that the only concern the Australian government has is its potential use for military purposes, and not the safety of the people who will be pulling it out of the ground.

Environmental and opposition groups criticised the deal, suggesting that a guarantee of Australian uranium would allow Beijing to earmark more domestically-produced uranium for its nuclear weapons programme

I was just thinking that same thing. That's a loophole big enough to fly an Orion through.....

Any thoughts on this (especially from you Austrialian folk)?

[Mefustae]

This really isn't all that surprising; Our Government is retarded, and has been getting steadily worse for the past 10 years. Blatantly ignoring logic and the wellbeing of humanity isn't really out of the ordinary for these guys, and after a while you just seem to tune it out.

Edit: Booya, 1000 posts. That'd be about 800 jokes [of which around 17 would have actually been funny], maybe 150 moronic 'serious' posts, and the remaining 50 relating somehow to Beans!

[Grug]

Gah the government does whatever the **** it feels like these days.
Supposedly there's a pact on what they can do with the uranium.
The sales would be a boost to the econemy which is the only thing the liberal government is concerned with.

I'm more worried about the Industrial Relation laws which basically get rid of unfair dismissal. People are being fired and then rehired on contract at lower wages. =/

The miners get paid a ****load plus endangerment. If you can handle the work and schedule, its one of the fastest ways to get rich.

Ed:
Yeah here's the link: http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=128104&region=7

Australia and China have signed a landmark nuclear safeguards pact which paves the way for massive exports of uranium to fuel China's booming nuclear power industry.

The deal, which include a number of pacts signed between the two countries, allow for the sale of uranium to China for peaceful use only.

Whether the pact is honoured or not is another story...

Edit: http://www.uic.com.au/nip01.htm

Australia's uranium is sold strictly for electrical power generation only, and safeguards are in place to ensure this. Australia is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapons state. Its safeguards agreement under the NPT came into force in 1974 and it was the first country in the world to bring into force the Additional Protocol in relation to this - in 1997.

In the five years to mid 2005 Australia exported 46,600 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate (39,500 tU) with a value of over A$ 2.1 billion. The nations which currently purchase Australia's uranium are set out below. All have a large commitment to nuclear power:

The USA generates around 30% of the world's nuclear power. Much of its uranium comes from Canada, but Australia is a major source. Japan and South Korea however are important customers due to their increasing dependence on nuclear.

Heh, if we stopped supplying, it would really **** the world up.

[aldo_14]

Offhand, Oz has something like 40% of the worlds (known) uranium deposits.

[Mefustae]

And yet not a single Nuclear Weapon. Tisk, tisk, tisk.

[Wild Fragaria]

Interesting.  Didn't know the States was one of the biggest buyers.

[Ghostavo]

Canada is going to destroy the world!!!!!11111oneoneone

[Grug]

We sell it under a "may only used for power stations" agreement.
According to that report, we have 30% - 38% of the worlds uranium reserves.

Hehe, same day we sign a deal with china, announcements made with possible deals with Taiwan. Bet that tickles china's funny bone.

Known Recoverable Resources* of Uranium
   tonnes U   percentage of world
Australia   1,074,000   30%
Kazakhstan    622,000   17%
Canada    439,000   12%
South Africa    298,000   8%
Namibia    213,000   6%
Russian Fed.   158,000   4%
Brazil    143,000   4%
USA    102,000   3%
Uzbekistan   93,000   3%
World total    3,622,000   

USA:  c 4100 tonnes per year - 103 reactors (supplying 20% of electricity).

On the note of nulcear power stations: http://www.uic.com.au/reactors.htm

Heh, apparantly 441 operable N power plants at the moment.

Interesting read really.
Homepage: http://www.uic.com.au/index.htm

[NGTM-1R]

Hehe, same day we sign a deal with china, announcements made with possible deals with Taiwan. Bet that tickles china's funny bone.

Expect missile tests in your direction shortly...

[Grug]

LoL, too bloody right. If they just aim for new parliment house it won't be a problem though.

[Rictor]

Australia, unfortunately, isn't big enough or strong enough to refuse to play ball. The US can, the EU can, but given Australia relative size and proximity to China...you best start shovelin' some uranium, if you know what's good for you.

[Grug]

Australia, unfortunately, isn't big enough or strong enough to refuse to play ball. The US can, the EU can, but given Australia relative size and proximity to China...you best start shovelin' some uranium, if you know what's good for you.

LoL, not that that would be a narrow viewpoint or anything?

I do believe our Foreign affairs needs to grow a backbone though. But I never voted for the current bastards anyway. >..>

[Rictor]

China: population 1.3 billion
Australia: population 20 million
Strongbadia: population tire

I'm not trying to be insulting or anything, but when there's someone 65 times your size, who also happens to be a major economic and political power...it doesn't really leave many options. Given the situation, the uranium deal is probably in Australia's interests. If it's profitable I say go for it. Especially if it earns you favour with the big guy on the block.

[Grug]

LoL. Well its not like I'm making the decision or anything.

Quite frankly china outweighs near anyone else in population too, including the states.

There were rumors that China is influencing Australia a while back when that Chinese spy was calling for asylum. Don't recall what happened there.
The way we are heading atm though is towards a close relationship with China. For better or worse...

[NGTM-1R]

Well, if you really doubt that the US and the Brits would back Australia up if they decided to tell China to sod off...you've got another thing coming.

[Black Wolf]

China: population 1.3 billion
Australia: population 20 million
Strongbadia: population tire

I'm not trying to be insulting or anything, but when there's someone 65 times your size, who also happens to be a major economic and political power...it doesn't really leave many options. Given the situation, the uranium deal is probably in Australia's interests. If it's profitable I say go for it. Especially if it earns you favour with the big guy on the block.

Don't underestimate the power of a government that controls resource deals with other nations. If it came down to it, right down to the wire over a big enough issue, Australia can simply stop exporting iron ore, nickel, copper, bauxite, natural gas and now uranium, to China, all of which we're major, major suppliers of. It'd hurt the economy, absolutely, but it'd probably hurt the Chinese more.

Besides, if any country can come close to being self sufficient in todays world, it's Australia. Short of a full blown invasion (which would trigger a nuclear war - we're major exporters and allies with the US too), we can do a lot to hurt China, relative to our size as a nation.

[Grug]

China: population 1.3 billion
Australia: population 20 million
Strongbadia: population tire

I'm not trying to be insulting or anything, but when there's someone 65 times your size, who also happens to be a major economic and political power...it doesn't really leave many options. Given the situation, the uranium deal is probably in Australia's interests. If it's profitable I say go for it. Especially if it earns you favour with the big guy on the block.

Don't underestimate the power of a government that controls resource deals with other nations. If it came down to it, right down to the wire over a big enough issue, Australia can simply stop exporting iron ore, nickel, copper, bauxite, natural gas and now uranium, to China, all of which we're major, major suppliers of. It'd hurt the economy, absolutely, but it'd probably hurt the Chinese more.

Besides, if any country can come close to being self sufficient in todays world, it's Australia. Short of a full blown invasion (which would trigger a nuclear war - we're major exporters and allies with the US too), we can do a lot to hurt China, relative to our size as a nation.

As we will no doubt see in the events generating with us and Indonesia. They need us more then we need them, and with a possible strong relationship with China, Australia is going to have more powerful friends than you could poke a stick at. Who's the real puppet in these deals?

Its all politics when it comes down to it, and Australia is building strong relationships with most of the powerfull nations, America, EU, now Asia... It's good in some ways that some people still havn't even heard of Australia, it keeps us on the sidelines, and in some ways out of the line of fire.