Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources. Would the minister inform the House of the latest export figures from the Australian resources sector? Is the minister aware of policies that are holding back growth in resource development?

Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cowper for his question and his strong interest in the resources sector. The news on Australia’s resources sector just keeps getting better and better, with the latest figures showing that exports of iron ore have now reached $11 billion in 2005, earning the Western Australian government some $1 billion in royalties and representing some eight per cent of Australia’s total merchandise exports. Of course, iron ore is not the only commodity that our trading partners are chasing. We are seeing real global demand grow by the day for our uranium. With 40 per cent of the world’s low-cost uranium here in Australia, we have a real opportunity to build our export performance.

This is an opportunity going begging, because of Labor’s ‘no new mines’ policy and the fact that Western Australia and Queensland will not allow the development of a uranium industry in those states. This is a policy described by various people as ‘illogical’, ‘anticompetitive’ and ‘silly’—and they are just the people in the Labor Party.

Meanwhile, we are seeing the Leader of the Opposition grappling with the policy on uranium and trying to walk both sides of the street. While he is giving indications that he will reconsider his uranium policy and allow the resource to be exported and used in nuclear power plants overseas, he will not allow a debate here in Australia on nuclear power. That is despite comments from his own side—such as those from the member for Batman who, earlier this year, called for cool heads on the nuclear industry, saying ‘it may well become essential for our future global, environmental and energy security’. He is backed up by my friend the member for Hunter, who says, ‘Look, I’m not as fearful of nuclear power generation as some people are; I mean, most of Europe use it.’ Even the new member for Werriwa is keen to get in on this and he said, ‘If we can export uranium and are satisfied that it is only going to be used for power generation and not weapons proliferation, then why aren’t we doing the same?’

The Leader of the Opposition wants to sit there and deny his own party and Australians the opportunity to debate nuclear power. The last word should go to the member for Batman who, on the weekend said, ‘Anybody who says there is not a debate about it’—nuclear power—‘is just plain stupid.’