ChinesernPremier Wen Jiabao is due in Australia early April. Along with thernphoto opportunities and goodwill discussions it is likely he willrnformally announce an agreement to purchase uranium from BHP’s OlympicrnDam-Roxby Downs mine in South Australia, initially from 2008 to 2020.rnBHP is in the process of tripling the size of the mine in order to meetrnthe order. This, of course, is the same South Australia that, underrnMike Rann, refused the development of a low level waste storagernfacility near Woomera. A position that saw a very “pragmatic” responsernby the Federal government in moving it to the Northern Territory.

Afterrnthat you’d like to think the government had its act together on thernissue of uranium mining and export. But the fiasco of contrary commentsrnby the PM in India, and Alexander Downer here, reveals poor policyrndevelopment and Cabinet communication.

Last year it was IanrnMacfarlane, Industry Minister, who within the space of two weeks hadrnback flipped on the issue of uranium mining. From staunch opponent tornstaunch supporter – all in the space of a fortnight! You can onlyrnsuppose he was taken aside and told what to say. This is from someonernwho had, according to sources, given explicit instruction to thernAustralian Bureau of Resource Economics when conducting a recent studyrnof Australian energy, not to look at uranium. You can only supposernthat, with his position reliant on the support of the coal industry, hernwas looking out for his mates.

Australia, with 40% of thernworld’s uranium, will not be allowed to sit on it. The US will not letrnus. The Chinese will not let us – in the same way they have capped ironrnore prices. We are price takers, in no position to bargain. With demandrnfor export revenue to fund our national debt and economy we have nornchoice. We are still hugely reliant on primary resources, despiternvarious incarnations of the “clever country” program. In fact, inrnfairness to Ian Macfarlane, with coal being our single biggest exportrnearner you can understand, issues of pollution, health and climaternchange aside, his support for it.

But why not face this uraniumrnand nuclear issue and approach it openly? The PM and Downer are strongrnsupporters of uranium exploitation and nuclear power development. So isrnBrendan Nelson. So is a lot of the backbench.

Read the full story here.