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

I thank the Senate. This motion relates to the annual general meeting of a small Adelaide based company called Toro that proposes to open Western Australia's first commercial uranium mine. Senators will be aware that no uranium mine has ever gone into production in Western Australia, and on this side of the chamber we plan on keeping it that way.

This is project has been waved through by the state EPA and it is now on Minister Tony Burke's desk. I want to put it, in the strongest terms possible, to Minister Burke to exercise his full obligations under the EPBC Act and to be well aware that Toro is telling investors at various briefings around the place and probably also at the AGM that the federal approvals will be in by the end of this year, no worries; it's all in the bag; no problem; it's going to be a pushover. Minister Burke needs to take this proposal very, very seriously—to stop the clock and make sure that it is not waved through. I want to pay tribute to the campaigners around the country who are demonstrating today against this proposal.