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Rowe tells McGauran; "Mealy mouthed words won’t work with the Gippsland community"

Jane Rowe ALP candidate for Gippsland

Jane Rowe ALP candidate for Gippsland

Labor Candidate for Gippsland, Jane Rowe has reacted angrily to claims by the Member for Gippsland and Federal Minister in the Howard Government that the Howard government had ‘made it abundantly clear it would not build nuclear power stations’

By Jane Rowe - 29th October 2007 - Back to News

Rowe tells McGauran; "Mealy mouthed words won’t work with the Gippsland community"

 

Labor Candidate for Gippsland, Jane Rowe has reacted angrily to claims by the Member for Gippsland and Federal Minister in the Howard Government that the Howard government had ‘made it abundantly clear it would not build nuclear power stations’

 

Mr McGauran was responding to reports that a Federal Government Review had earmarked sights in Gippsland such as Seaspray, Woodside and Yarram as appropriate for nuclear power generators.

 

In 2006 the Howard Government commissioned Dr Ziggy Switkowski to review the contribution of nuclear energy in Australia. The Switkowski report suggested that 25 nuclear reactors could be established in Australia by 2050. Earlier this year an independent study by the Australian Institute identified 19 of the most likely sites for nuclear reactors. These included sites in South Gippsland.

 

At the Time the Prime Minister John Howard threw his support behind nuclear power saying it was ""the cleanest and greenest power generation source of all".

 

"Not only was the Prime Minister unequivocal with his support for nuclear Power but he committed the Federal coalition Government to legislate to repeal current Federal environmental laws that prohibit nuclear reactors." Ms Rowe said.

 

"When asked if his Government had sought legal advice on overturning existing State bans on nuclear reactors, Mr Howard said, "...of course you would want to know at some stage whether the Commonwealth could legislate to make it possible for nuclear power to come about"."

 

"The only meaning that Mr McGauran could be using to make his mealy mouthed and misleading statement that ‘the Government would not build nuclear power stations’ is that the government would not actually be the ones building, owning and operating the plant!" a furious Ms Rowe said.

 

"We already know that in the Federal Government had said they would allow the private sector to decide when and where they build them. Mr Howard told Parliament that the location of reactors was ‘a decision for commercial investors.’"

 

Ms Rowe said ‘vague references to a referendum were just so much more hypocrisy from the Nationals’.

 

"Those ‘mealy mouthed hypocrites’, the National Party were up to their old tricks using their numbers in the Victorian Upper House to block legislation which would have required a referendum in Victoria prior to any introduction of nuclear power to the State. They simply can’t be trusted."  Ms Rowe said.

 

Ms Rowe said she couldn’t quite work out which was worse.

 

"A Federal Government which would allow nuclear power Stations into Gippsland and leave decisions for the siting of them to ‘commercial interests’ or a local MP who, it seems, would say anything to remain in power".

 

Ms Rowe called her opponent in the up coming Federal election, Peter McGauran to "come clean on the Howard Governments Nuclear option for Gippsland and apologise to our local community"


Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: howardw@aapt.net.au



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