French Nuclear Energy company Areva has expressed plans to mine for uranium in an area called Koongarra in the Northern Territory of Australia. However the small area has been donated by the traditional owner Jeffrey Lee to the Commonwealth and the Federal Government wants to include it in the world hertitage listed Kakadu National Park.
Northern Territory deputy opposition leader Kezia Purick said that when the park was established there was the knowledge that surrounding areas had the potential to be mined. The opposition has supported the company’s uranium mining plans in the region. Purick also said that there had been consent and support for this project area from traditional owners.
Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke said that when the Kakadu National Park came into existence thirty years ago the Koongarra area was excluded as it had uranium underground. Last year the traditional owner Jeffrey Lee expressed his wish for the area to be included in the national park. This was contrary to the wishes of both his father and grandfather who had been supportive of the uranium mining project.
Should Paris based Areva get to mine the region it expects to extract 14,000 tonnes of uranium from the mineral lease. The traditional owner who currently works as a ranger in Kakadu would become one of the richest men in Australia if he allowed the mining. However Mr Leed, a member of the Djok clan and senior custodian of the land, said that he wanted to see the land protected from mining by being included in the national park.