Jabiluka
Encyclopedia
Jabiluka is a uranium
deposit and mine development in the Northern Territory
of Australia that was to have been built on land belonging to the Mirarr Aboriginal people. The mine site is surrounded by, but not part of, the World Heritage–listed Kakadu National Park
.
, which saw the Australian Labor Party take government. Under this government, an export licence for the Uranium was unlikely to have been granted and the project development was stopped. Energy Resources of Australia Ltd bought the deposit from Pancontinental and proceeded without background work. Upon the election of the Howard Liberal Government
in 1996, the project was once again placed into development.
and Yvonne Margarula
, of the Mirarr people, called on activists to come from around Australia and the world to blockade the construction of the mine by Energy Resources of Australia
(ERA). Over 500 people were arrested in the course of the eight-month blockade.
ERA developed the surface infrastructure and the decline down to the ore-body to allow for further definition of the resource. Falling uranium prices prevented the project from proceeding. ERA's parent company
, North Ltd, was bought by Rio Tinto Group
, who announced that the mine will not go ahead – at least until their nearby Ranger uranium mine
is mined out.
The Mirarr people continue to agitate to have Rio Tinto clean up the mine site and have it restored in keeping with the surrounding National Park. On 12 August 2003 rehabilitation works commenced on the Jabiluka site, 50,000 tonnes of material from the mine were put back down the decline at Jabiluka, filling up 1.2 km of decline.
.
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
deposit and mine development in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia that was to have been built on land belonging to the Mirarr Aboriginal people. The mine site is surrounded by, but not part of, the World Heritage–listed Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
.
History
First discovered in the 1960s, the deposit was one of a number of Uranium deposits that were the subject of the Fox Enquiry. As a result of this enquiry, the Jabiluka mining lease and two others were created along with Kakadu National Park. Feasibility works into the development of the mine were well progressed at the time of the Australian federal election, 1983Australian federal election, 1983
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution...
, which saw the Australian Labor Party take government. Under this government, an export licence for the Uranium was unlikely to have been granted and the project development was stopped. Energy Resources of Australia Ltd bought the deposit from Pancontinental and proceeded without background work. Upon the election of the Howard Liberal Government
Howard Government
The Howard Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard. It was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition, which won a majority of seats in the Australian House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard Government...
in 1996, the project was once again placed into development.
Controversy
In 1998 the issue came to a head when Jacqui KatonaJacqui Katona
Jacqui Katona is a western-educated Aboriginal woman who led the campaign to stop the Jabiluka uranium mine in the Northern Territory. In 1998 the Mirrar Aboriginal people, together with environmental groups, used peaceful on-site civil disobedience to create one of the largest blockades in...
and Yvonne Margarula
Yvonne Margarula
Yvonne Margarula won the 1998 Friends of the Earth International Environment Award and the 1998 Nuclear-Free Future Award. She also won the 1999 U.S...
, of the Mirarr people, called on activists to come from around Australia and the world to blockade the construction of the mine by Energy Resources of Australia
Energy Resources of Australia
Energy Resources of Australia Ltd is a public company based in Australia. It is a subsidiary of the Rio Tinto Group which owns 68.4% of the company. The chairman is David Klingner and chief executive officer is Harry Kenyon-Slaney....
(ERA). Over 500 people were arrested in the course of the eight-month blockade.
ERA developed the surface infrastructure and the decline down to the ore-body to allow for further definition of the resource. Falling uranium prices prevented the project from proceeding. ERA's parent company
Parent company
A parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors; the second company being deemed as a subsidiary of the parent company...
, North Ltd, was bought by Rio Tinto Group
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
, who announced that the mine will not go ahead – at least until their nearby Ranger uranium mine
Ranger Uranium Mine
The Ranger uranium mine is surrounded by Kakadu National Park, in the Northern Territory of Australia, 230 km east of Darwin. The orebody was discovered in 1969, and the mine commenced operation in 1980, reaching full production of uranium oxide in 1981...
is mined out.
The Mirarr people continue to agitate to have Rio Tinto clean up the mine site and have it restored in keeping with the surrounding National Park. On 12 August 2003 rehabilitation works commenced on the Jabiluka site, 50,000 tonnes of material from the mine were put back down the decline at Jabiluka, filling up 1.2 km of decline.
Film
The 1997 documentary film, Jabiluka, was produced and directed by David BradburyDavid Bradbury (film maker)
David Bradbury is an Australian film maker who began his career in 1972 as an ABC radio journalist, and has since produced 21 documentary films, including many that tackle difficult political issues and highlight the plight of the disadvantaged. Bradbury has won many international film festival...
.
Future prospects
The Jabiluka Long-Term Care and Maintenance Agreement signed in February 2005 gives the traditional owners veto rights over future development of Jabiluka. However, in 2007, Rio Tinto suggested that the mine could reopen one day.See also
- Uranium in the environmentUranium in the environmentUranium in the environment refers to the science of the sources, environmental behaviour, and effects of uranium on humans and other animals. Uranium is weakly radioactive and remains so because of its long physical half-life...
- Anti-nuclear movement in AustraliaAnti-nuclear movement in AustraliaNuclear testing, uranium mining and export, and nuclear energy have often been the subject of public debate in Australia, and the anti-nuclear movement in Australia has a long history...
- Activist WisdomActivist WisdomActivist Wisdom: Practical knowledge and Creative Tension in Social Movements is a book by Sarah Maddison and Sean Scalmer. UNSW Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-86840-686-2...
- List of uranium mines
- Unconformity uranium deposits
- Uranium miningUranium miningUranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
Further reading
- Paasonen, Karl-Erik (2007). Between Movements of Crisis and Movements of Affluence: An analysis of the campaign against the Jabiluka uranium mine, 1997–2000 PhD Thesis, School of Political Science and International Studies, University of Queensland.