5 April 2000
ACF - For Immediate release
Kakadu turns 21 today - as uranium bungles continue
Australia�s largest National Park, Kakadu, turns 21 today amid reports
of threats to its World Heritage values from uranium mine waste water.
Kakadu has achieved worldwide recognition for its environmental and
cultural importance. It is home to a third of Australia's bird species,
50 native mammal species and the area has over 7,000 rock art sites
with more than 400,000 Aboriginal paintings.
Uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia has been releasing excess
mine water containing elevated levels of uranium, sulphates and other
contaminants from their Ranger mine since before Christmas.
Now the company is in increasing trouble with water management at the
nearby controversial Jabiluka deposit and is holding a series of
emergency meetings and seeking to change the rules to allow them to
dump excess water from Jabiluka.
ACF campaigner Dave Sweeney says "ERA have attempted to fast track
works at Jabiluka and have been caught out by the heavy Wet season.
They are attempting to change their water management regime on the
run."
"Jabiluka is not even producing and still the company cannot manage its
impacts. This incident proves yet again that this is a flawed and truly
shabby project which should never have been approved and must not be
allowed to proceed."
Stage 1 of Kakadu National Park was declared on this day in 1979.
Community and indigenous opposition has caused works on the Jabiluka
project to stall and market scepticism over the viability of the
project to grow.
Dave Sweeney says "In the past two decades Kakadu has grown up but
sadly the uranium miners have not. They continue to threaten one of our
most beautiful places in order to extract one of our most toxic
minerals and they have refused to restructure in the face of a globally
depressed market".
"Kakadu has become one of our most loved and visited parks and on its
21st birthday the message is simple - there will be no key to the door
for companies that do not respect the area and there will be no
celebrations for ERA".
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Truth is a pathless land. --- Krishnamurti
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