Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes:

     (i)   the ongoing crisis and radiation leaks from the severely damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex,

     (ii)   that on 12 April 2011 the nuclear disaster reached INES [International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale] disaster level 7, the worst possible type of nuclear event due to cumulative radiation releases and contamination of the air, soil, water and food,

     (iii)   the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization and specialist research institutes have documented radiation from Fukushima spreading to Korea, China, Russia, Europe, the United States of America and Australia,

     (iv)   that seabed, air and soil samples taken in the region record alarming radiation levels that are hundreds of times higher than previously detected in and around Fukushima,

     (v)   the 7 June 2011 report from Japan to the United Nations indicating that fuel in three Fukushima's reactors have melted through the containment structure,

     (vi)   the report tabled on 6 June 2011 by Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency that doubled the figure for the radiation it believed was released into the atmosphere in the first 6 days, from 370 000 terabecquerels to 770 000,

     (vii)   the 3 June 2011 disclosure that Japanese authorities had suppressed the 12 March 2011 finding of radioactive tellurium 6 kilometres from Fukushima, the presence of which indicates that the temperature of the fuel rods was more than 1 000 degrees and that a meltdown had commenced before the emergency ventilation of the unit 1 reactor containment, and

     (viii)   the Declaration by the International Atomic Energy Agency Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety in Vienna of 20 June 2011; and

  (b)   calls on the Australian Government to:

     (i)   maintain the interdepartmental emergency task force coordinating Australian nuclear expertise and equipment to measure detectable levels of radiation, model the plumes and provide advice to the Australian Government,

     (ii)   publicly disclose all data held by Australian authorities on inspection and monitoring efforts regarding radiation levels in the environment, including radiation levels in the surface of soil, rain water, tap water, food and air, exposure to which is dangerous to human health, and

     (iii)   regularly update the Senate on findings by the interdepartmental emergency task force on all data collected by Australian nuclear experts and equipment.

I seek leave to make a short statement.