April 2011: Will India get Australian Uranium?

In the next 12 months we would have a new Liberal or Labour government in place after the federal elections. Now visualise the scenario in which Kevin Rudd becomes the PM again. He is most likely to stick to his banal stand of refusing to sell Uranium to India and this will continue for the next 4 years possibly till 2015. Now visualise the scenario in which Liberal Party comes to power and Tony Abbott or some other Liberal party member becomes the PM. In this case, it is guaranteed that Australia will commence uranium sales to India. Now keep your hand on your heart. Isn’t this the scenario we all have been wishing for?

Labour’s Refusal to sell Uranium to India is more due to the pre historic mindset of few Labour party members and their dogmas and less to do with their so called commitment to NPT. Whatever peans we may sing to each other, the fact is Rudd Government has failed on its commitment to take Australia India relationship to the forefront of top 10 bilateral relationships and the blame lies more on the Rudd government rather than the Indian government.

When Stephen Smith and Kevin Rudd told their Indian counterparts that there was bipartisan support in Australia for refusal to sell Uranium to India they were lying and thinking that their Indian counterparts and the media are naive. At that time they were espousing their personal ideologies rather than presenting the view of majority of Australian people. One of the reasons why Indian media is refusing to listen to Australian establishment for student issues is because they know that Rudd government has camouflaged facts in the past when it comes to Uranium sale to India.

Labour did pledge that they will stop the sale of Uranium to India before elections but the fact is that Labour did not win the elections just because of this pledge. They won because of other pressing issues for which people wanted to see change. Liberal party still managed to get 36.7 % of Australian votes while Labour party got 43.4% of Australian vote. So the suggestion that there was bipartisan support for refusal to sell Uranium to India was a blatant lie. Liberal party under John Howard did change its policy to sell Uranium to India in the last phase of its life. The decision to sell Uranium was not the choice of few Liberal Party members, but was based on the inputs from independent think tanks and bureaucracy in Australia which clearly saw the need to engage India and wanted to realise the unlimited potential of Uranium exports. By refusing to sell Uranium to India Labour has lost a big opportunity and failed to exploit the advantage Australian companies had in this sector and put Australian exporters at a disadvantage. Australia has lost a major export market due to Labour attitudes. During this time India has signed agreements with Canada and Kazakhstan for allowing supplies to fuel nuclear power plants in India

India has one of the world’s lowest per capita consumption of energy and a high economic growth rate. It has an urgent requirement for additional sources of ”clean” energy in order to develop without contributing overly to global warming and this links up with the wider Australian mindset of reducing carbon emissions.

What Australian Indian voters need to keep in mind is that Kevin Rudd has till now not appeared at any of the Indian community or business functions, even after 4 years in office. If he had a deep desire to assuage the feelings of Australia Indian community you would have thought he would make efforts to attend at least one Indian business or community function during his term in office.

The Australian Indian community may have different opinions and voices over community and student issues but the issue of Uranium sale to India is something which has universal appeal amongst the Indian community living down under and something very close to our hearts and minds. Its time we let our feelings be known openly on this to our politicians.

Instead of serving platitudes during community functions, it is time to grill the politicians. This election is going to be a very close election. With an energised Tony Abbott forcing Rudd government in a corner over insulation policy disaster and health care reform, this is the time to demand.

Come election time and all you voters should be waiting with your baseball bats ready to strike at and ask tough questions on Uranium sale. Its time to cut through the spin and force the MPs to announce change in policy and each one of us can be a change agent to drive this.

At this moment there is no Labour announcement on whether they will reconsider the Uranium sale to India. Liberal party members have openly espoused the sale of Uranium to India and have been speaking about this in the media. This includes leaders like Andrew Robb, Julie Bishop, Senator Nick Minchin and other state level Liberal leaders while Labour has kept quiet.

Readers should also be reminded that the Labour government in March this year rejected a 2008 parliamentary report’s recommendation that Australia not proceed with an agreement to sell uranium to Russia and has no qualms about exporting Uranium to China and Russia.

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