Australian Greens

Principles

The Australian Greens believe that:

1. The world should be free of nuclear weapons and the nuclear fuel chain.
2. There is a strong link between the mining and export of uranium and nuclear weapons proliferation.
3. The use of nuclear weapons, nuclear accidents or attacks on reactors pose unacceptable risks and consequences.
4. Future generations must not be burdened with dangerous levels of radioactive waste.
5. Nuclear power is not a safe, clean, timely, economic or practical solution to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
6. Australia’s reliance on the United States nuclear weapons ‘umbrella’ lends our bases, ports and infrastructure to the US nuclear war fighting apparatus, and is in conflict with our national sovereignty.

Aims

The Australian Greens want:

7. A nuclear-free world.
8. Cessation of Australian uranium mining and export.
9. Medical support and compensation provided to workers occupationally exposed to radiation.
10. Compensation for the victims of British nuclear weapons testing in Australia, and rehabilitation of nuclear test sites. 
11. Uranium mining companies to be liable for rehabilitation of uranium mining sites and subject to enforcement of standards to safely contain and monitor radioactive tailings wastes for at least 10,000 years.
12. Closure of Australia’s ports and territorial waters to nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed vessels.
13. Removal from Australian territory of all facilities which enable deployment of nuclear weapons. 
14. Prohibition of food irradiation and the importation of such food. 
15. Prohibition of the importation and reprocessing of international nuclear waste and fuel rods.
16. Closure of the OPAL nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights and development of non-reactor technologies, such as particle accelerators, for the production of radioisotopes for medical and scientific purposes.
17. Safe, long-term containment of Australia’s existing nuclear waste, stored and monitored above ground, in dry storage at or near the site of generation.
18. The elimination of nuclear weapons through a Nuclear Weapons Convention, nuclear weapon free zones, municipalities and ports. 
19. To cease production and use of depleted uranium weapons.
20. Prohibition of nuclear power plants and the promotion of safe, ecologically sustainable energy options.
21. Prohibition of government funding of mining, research, development and commercialisation of technologies directly related to the enrichment or weaponisation of nuclear material.
22. Prohibition of the mining and export of thorium.