At parliament question time on the 16th of August, Senator Evans, the leader of the opposition in the Senate, asked Senator Coonan, (minister representing the minister of foreign affairs) why the foreign minister believes that selling Uranium to India will make the world a safer and more secure place. Media reports from Pakistan have suggested that should Australia export uranium to India it would only fuel a new nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan (both countries having not signed the non-proliferation treaty).
Senator Coonan argues that the government will have proper safeguards in place which would make the supply of Uranium to India for peaceful purposes only. Senator Coonan believes India to have a good non-proliferation track-record. She states that India is a large contributor of greenhouse gases and that nuclear power is a solution to this problem. Australia wishes to create a strategic political partner in India due to them being an influential regional power.
In my opinion, the main reasons the Australian government wishes to export Uranium to India is not because they believe it will help them cut their greenhouse gas emissions, but they believe it will enable them to develop a cooperative relationship with India that could be important in the future. I also believe that the financial incentives for the government would be a deciding factor in this issue.
I find it somewhat irresponsible of the government to export Uranium to a country that has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treat. India has around 35 nuclear warheads and the US is looking to reprimand the country because of breaches in regards to nuclear testing.
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