Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens will not be opposing that motion, but there has been a move to suspend the committee and I want to take the opportunity here to say that if we are going to have a sitting on a Friday then it is important that we be able to deal with the issues of the day—and one that is very important and that we ought to be discussing is the Prime Minister’s move overnight for an arrangement with the Indian government to export Australia’s uranium to that country, which has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. We ought to have in this circumstance the ability to move an amendment to that motion, and I am considering that, to discuss just that matter. What we have is the Prime Minister of this country flaunting international law to export Australian uranium to India, which frees up Indian uranium to be put into nuclear weapons. They have rockets which shortly will be able to reach Australia. This is the Prime Minister who is going to export uranium to China, which has rockets which can reach Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. This is the Prime Minister who next month will sign an agreement with President Putin, of all people, to sell Australian uranium to that autocracy—which in turn is selling nuclear equipment to Iran and possibly Burma.