Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Brown, for that question. I have some information for you. Koongarra is Aboriginal land, so to become part of Kakadu it will first need to be leased to the Director of National Parks. The proclamation that created Kakadu National Park will need to be amended with another proclamation by the Governor-General covering the Koongarra area. It is fitting that this spectacular area become part of the Kakadu World Heritage area, and the Gillard government will be applying to the World Heritage Committee for this to occur shortly. World Heritage listing recognises places of outstanding heritage value, the conservation of which is important for current and future generations. Sites that are nominated for World Heritage listing are placed on the list only after they have been assessed as representing the best examples of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

Australia currently has 18 properties on the World Heritage List. Recent studies show that our 18 World Heritage properties generate $12 billion annually and support over 120,000 jobs across the country. Before making a decision about the future of Koongarra, the government consulted with the mining company, based in France, in accordance with the requirements of procedural fairness. The government took the company’s dues into account when making its decision. Notwithstanding the company’s commercial interest in exploiting the resources at the site, Koongarra could never have been mined without the permission of its Aboriginal owners and they have been very clear that they would not allow this to happen. As there has been no exploration activity in the Koongarra area for over two decades and no mining has ever occurred there, no jobs will be lost as a result of this decision. The Australian government is committed to comprehensive environmental assessment and stringent environmental controls on all uranium mines based on world’s best practice standards. (Time expired)