Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Faulkner. I refer the minister to the recent decision by the Canadian government to allow uranium sales to India and to overnight reports that the United States will implement a ‘clean energy initiative’ with India that involves nuclear energy cooperation. Given India’s energy needs, does the minister believe that India should be given all possible support in reducing greenhouse gas emissions?

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr President. What I can say in relation to this is that, as Senator Trood would be aware, India has concluded civil nuclear cooperation agreements with a number of countries, including the United States, France and Russia. A September 2008 Nuclear Suppliers Group exemption for India to its guidelines on nuclear supply based on non-proliferation commitments made by India has made it possible now for India to conclude such agreements. I can say of course that Australia welcomed India’s non-proliferation commitments and supported the NSG exemption that I spoke about. However, each NSG member continues to determine its own national position with regard to supply of uranium or other civil nuclear cooperation with India.

I must stress with the Senate—and I have done this in answer to questions previously—that Australia’s uranium export policy has not changed. The Australian government has a longstanding policy that we will export uranium only to countries that are parties to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. (Time expired)

Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given the movements in Indian policy to which the minister has referred, will the government now adopt the coalition’s policy of allowing Australian sales of uranium to India with appropriate safeguards to help reduce global greenhouse emissions?

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The current Australian government’s policy in relation to the export of uranium is a very clear one. I will stress again: our policy is that we will export uranium only to countries that are party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, countries that have in place an additional protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency and also countries with which Australia has a bilateral nuclear safeguards agreement. I stress, and this is the point I hoped that— (Time expired)

Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. In light of India’s needs, why does the Australian government persist in holding Australia’s good relations with India hostage to its bankrupt policy on uranium exports?

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not accept the premise that is included in that question and I certainly do not accept Senator Trood’s very unfair and, I believe, inaccurate analysis of the nature of relations between India and Australia. It is important, I think, given the information I have provided Senator Trood in answer to his question, that he does understand the circumstances and that India is not a party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

I must say that it is perhaps semantically easy to draw a parallel between the issue of climate change and this critical issue in relation to our approach to the export of uranium to countries that— (Time expired)