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Chernobyl commemorated in Melbourne
** Media Release ** April 27, 2005
The 19th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster was marked last night by Nuclear Free Australia (NFA) , with banners confront ing evening peak hour commuters at Flinders Street station.
Leaflets were handed out with background on the radioactive explosion which contaminated much of the northern hemisphere.
During the event, activists met a 19 year old man born in Poland 2 days after the disaster. He has two holes in his heart and spoke of his parents t elling of the hushed panic in the area and of the many babies born with enlarged, fluid-filled heads and leukaemia-causing Strontium 90 in their bones.
The fallout from Chernobyl continues to contaminate large parts of Europe and the UK, with many sheep and dairy farmers under heavy restrictions due to radioactive grass.
April 26 also marked the end of a moratorium on the Koongarra uranium deposit in Kakadu, NT, which Energy Resources of Australia and French nuclear company COGEMA are eager to mine.
NFA joins with traditional owners, the Mirrar, and NGOs in opposing plans to revive this mine, as well as an intended expansion of the Olympic Dam mine, SA, with a $9billion take over bid for WMC by BHP Billiton.
An Olympic Dam expansion would mean a further 5x5 km open cut and a doubling of Australia's uranium exports. NFA is keen to let WMC shareholders know of the risks to health, environment and future investment of the nuclear industry at their AGM on May 30, as many of the world's aging nuclear power plants will face decommissioning in coming
years.
"Contrary to Science Minister Nelson's and Resources Minister Mc Farlane's beliefs, there's just nothing clean, green, viable or safe about nuclear power," Adam Dempsey, of NFA, said.
"Few people are aware of just how much water, fossil fuels and chemicals are required. And an average size power reactor takes around 10 years to produce any net gain in energy. When it's operational life is over, the whole reactor becomes nuclear waste for which there is no long term safe solution."
Adam added, "Nuclear reactors create plutonium and the inherent infrastructure for nuclear weapons which still threaten every one of us. As the Non- P roliferation Treaty comes under review next week in New York, we must continue to ask 'why should we live under this threat?' "
Nuclear Free Australia is a non-violent, non-profit action group, opposing
all involvement in the nuclear industry including the mining and exports
of uranium, nuclear wastes, weapons and a new research reactor at Lucas
Heights.
http://www.nukefreeaus.org Contact: Hillel Freedman 0417 506 150 hillelfreedman@optusnet.com.au Pictures by Adam Dempsey
