Concerned Residents Meet 10am -11am Saturday May 9th

Alice Springs Town Council lawns

On Wednesday 6 May, Canadian uranium mining company CAMECO began exploration drilling at the Angela Pamela uranium deposits, 23 km south of Alice Springs. NT MInister for mining Kon Vatskalis has approved CAMECO's Mine Management Plan, despite receiving written objections from over 200 residents. The residents heard about it on the radio: there was no warning and no courtesy phone call. These deposits were explored in the 1970s and it is well known that they contain relatively high levels of uranium. Drilling is expected to last 7 months, after which ALEC is deeply concerned that CAMECO will lodge an application to mine.

A uranium mine adjacent to Alice Springs is opposed by the majority of people here, as indeed it would be by any Australian town facing such a toxic future. Radioactive tailings will lie just outside Alice Springs for 10,000 years. Worse still, they will be within the town's water catchment area. Does this sound like madness? Like a royalty hungry territory government abusing the citizens of a town too small and too far away to affect their electorates? We think so. There are many people in Alice Springs ready to fight this issue down to the line. We know we are being misrepresented in national media by a slick 'smoke and mirrors' publicity campaign by multinational CAMECO and their market research associate SYNOVATE, (see ALEC media release April, 'Data Mining')

Alice Springs is a very resourceful community. We will not let this happen at the heart of Australia.

Come and join this gathering of concerned residents on Saturday 9th May, 10-11am, at the Alice Springs Town Council lawns to mark the beginning of drilling and hence, a new level of community engagement of this issue. Speakers, food, discussion, letter writing, finding out how you can help build a more informed community.

At stake are the health, well being, character, enterprises, families, economy and integrity of Alice Springs. Any problems we have here will be made far worse with the demographic and economic shifts forced by uranium mining. The toxic environmental legacy will be permanent.