Fed: Uranium vote will be close at Labor conference: Rann

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2007
Fed: Uranium vote will be close at Labor conference: Rann

CANBERRA, April 27 AAP - South Australian Premier Mike Rann says federal Opposition
Leader Kevin Rudd's plan to dump Labor's no new uranium mines policy is logical, but it
won't be easy to gain majority party support.

Mr Rann is one of the key backers of Mr Rudd's plan which will be put to the Labor
Party's national conference in Sydney starting today.

"I think it will be a fairly close vote because it's obviously a debate that generates
a fair bit of emotion," Mr Rann told ABC Radio today.

But, even though there had been reports that Mr Rudd's plan would easily prevail, Mr
Rann said it was no certainty.

"Basically, there are some people in different factions with different views - there
are some people in the left who are voting for a change in policy and there are some people
in the right who aren't.

"I think it's still fairly fluid, but I hope commonsense will prevail."

Mr Rann said it would be hypocritical for Labor to support the expansion of current
uranium mines, such as the Olympic Dam Mine in South Australia, and not new mines.

"It's about making sure that there's logic in the policy that says it's okay for some
uranium mines but not for others.

"That doesn't make any sense on any basis of principle, let alone science," he said.

Mr Rann said the debate would demonstrate if Labor was fit to govern after the next
federal election.

"Being in government is about making hard decisions based on facts and science and
not emotions," he said.

"And I guess this is a key test for us about being prepare to govern, being prepared
to make the difficult decisions that are inherent with government."

AAP kc/it/cdh

KEYWORD: URANIUM RANN

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