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

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Senator Cormann. I refer to the spillage over the weekend of a million litres of strongly acidic radioactive sludge on the Ranger project area in Kakadu National Park. I ask whether the minister will concur with the demand of the traditional owners, the Mirarr people, through the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, also environmental and public health groups, for no resumption of operations until there has been a full and independent audit of the Ranger mine site to assess its facilities and particularly whether there are any other of these leach tanks in similar condition. Minister, I understand that the environment minister has called for a clean-up and an investigation. My question to you goes directly to the independence of that audit and whether the company will be prevented from restarting operations until that is concluded.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ludlam for the question. I can advise the chamber that, at approximately 1 am on 7 December 2013, leach tank No. 1 at the Energy Resources of Australia Ranger uranium mine, containing ground uranium ore, water and acid, failed, spilling into the plant area. The Australian government has ordered a thorough audit of the incident, and the Minister for the Environment has ordered an immediate investigation and immediate clean-up of the site. The Office of the Supervising Scientist was ordered to attend the site to conduct an inspection, and this occurred on Saturday. The advice provided to us is that there has been no threat of damage to Kakadu National Park. The minister will consider the findings of the investigation, which will be released publicly when finished.

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

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. It relates to relevance. I asked about the independence of the audits and the investigation that is underway, and the minister appears to be breezing along without any regard to my question. No-one has confidence in the existing regulators. Please tell us if there will be an independent audit or not.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order at this stage. The minister has one minute and eight seconds remaining.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would point out to Senator Ludlam that the Supervising Scientist is an independent statutory body, and so I was actually directly answering his question, just providing appropriate context around the answer given the public interest in this matter. So I will continue. The spill was contained within the plant area and there is no threat to the surrounding environment or human health outside of the immediate area. This was confirmed by the Supervising Scientist staff on site on Saturday, 7 December, and by the Acting Supervising Scientist himself on Sunday morning, 8 December. ERA have further contained the material around the plant area with earthen bunds so as to limit its spread in the event of rain. A small amount of material made it through the stormwater system to retention point 2. Chemistry results indicate no change in retention point 2 composition at this point in time. The material in the leach tank consists of ground uranium ore, water and acid at a pH of approximately 2. The material is not a significant radiological hazard and is similar to that— (Time expired)

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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his answer. My supplementary question is: will the minister confirm that the proposal by ERA and its parent company, Rio Tinto, for underground mining at Ranger 3 Deeps will be rejected given the demonstrable failure of ERA to maintain its mining infrastructure at Ranger?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will need to seek advice from Minister Hunt before being able to provide an answer to that question, which I undertake to do as soon as possible.

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

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I ask whether the minister, who ran out of time when he was answering my first question, would not mind tabling the balance of his answer if he thinks that is appropriate. My final supplementary: would the environment minister confirm that the weekend's events at Ranger demonstrate that the uranium industry poses unique and national challenges and that therefore, in the national interest, it must be regulated, assessed and monitored by the federal government and not be handed back to the states and territories in a process of deregulation or outsourcing of the environment minister's responsibilities?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I would say to Senator Ludlam is that these issues are actually properly regulated and there is no proposition to deregulate but rather to simplify the administration of the regulations. Of course, our one-stop shop proposals, which are part of our plans to build a stronger economy and create more jobs, will help to administer the regulations, which remain the same, in a more efficient way.