The Sunday Times http://www.news.com.au/national/ Pangea nukes its critics 25apr99 AMERICAN nuclear waste-disposal company Pangea has begun its public relations campaign offensive to woo the Australian public. On Monday the company organised focus groups across the country to monitor audience response to an ABC Four Corners documentary on Pangea. And it has also started to distribute a glossy promotional brochure to people seeking more information about their proposal to build an underground, nuclear waste-disposal unit in the WA outback. The brochure says that Pangea has "developed a concept for the permanent, safe, environmentally sound, disposal of nuclear waste". It also says that the process of identifying a site for the project will be conducted "in liaison with the State Government". Australia was first considered as a possible site for the facility in 1993. The majority of the waste identified for disposal in the facility would be generated in more than 400 nuclear-power stations and other nuclear facilities around the world. "As a responsible society, it is our duty to carefully dispose of waste products in a manner that is safe," the brochure says. Premier Richard Court and the Federal Government have repeatedly ruled out any support for Pangea's proposal. This week the Senate unanimously passed a motion congratulating the Federal Government on its position. In State Parliament this week it was revealed that the Premier's former chief of staff Ian Fletcher was briefed twice by Pangea - once before a meeting with Deputy Premier Hendy Cowan, and then again at the meeting. Also at the meeting were Mr Cowan's chief-of-staff, Dr Ross Field, Pangea Resources Australia president Jim Voss and pollster Mark Textor, who has conducted opinion polling for Pangea. Mr Textor has also conducted research for the Liberal Party and has been accused of push polling by the Federal and Northern Territory Labor parties. WA Minister for Resources Development Colin Barnett told Parliament this week that as many as 11 uranium mines could be operating in WA in five years' time. Asked whether he supported Pangea's proposal, Mr Barnett said: "I do not have before me a proposal for an international nuclear waste facility on which to make a judgment. However, on the issue in general, it is my view it should be debated publicly and approached in a considered and sensible manner." Greens WA MLC Giz Watson said the Pangea brochure clearly showed that the company was well advanced in its campaign to persuade the public of its proposal. "It clearly states that WA is in its sights," she said. The brochure says that the transport of waste material to the facility would rely on existing rail lines, where possible. If rail transport was not available, road would be used. The waste generator's designated port - serviced by "state-of-the-art" Pangea ships - would probably be an existing facility with a "dedicated and secure" dock area for the handling of nuclear materials. "The safety record for the transport of nuclear material has been excellent with no instance of significant radioactive releases in many millions of transport miles," the brochure says. ************************************************************************* This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
