Senator ALLISON (2:21 PM) —My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. Is the minister aware that yesterday 20 mine workers drank or showered in radioactive mining waste that found its way into the water supply at the Ranger uranium mine? This was not detected by ERA, the Northern Territory government or the Supervising Scientist. Is the minister aware that it was only discovered when employees complained that their drinking water tasted strange and they started to suffer adverse health effects? Given that the contamination incident was not detected until it was reported by workers, will the minister agree that the monitoring and regulatory system for this uranium mine is totally inadequate?

Senator IAN MACDONALD (Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) —I am aware of the incident, which has received quite a lot of media reporting in recent hours. The Supervising Scientist was advised by ERA, the operators of the Ranger mine, that the potable water of the Ranger mine had been contaminated. Dr Kemp, as the environment minister, and I—and in fact the government as a whole—are very concerned about this incident. We have asked the Supervising Scientist to conduct an immediate inquiry as his top priority. Dr Kemp has received a preliminary report from the Supervising Scientist and has asked that a full and comprehensive report be prepared once all of the facts are known. Once a final report has been prepared, Dr Kemp will be pursuing any recommendations with the mining company and the Northern Territory regulators to ensure that this type of incident does not occur again.

Senator Crossin —You say that all the time.

Senator IAN MACDONALD —I hear an interjection from a Northern Territory senator. You may well want to raise this point with the Northern Territory regulators as well, Senator. They have a very important role to play in this. I am sure you will be shouting at them the way you are shouting at me.

Returning to Senator Allison's question, the preliminary information indicates that the probable source of the contamination was an inappropriate connection made between the mine's process water system and its potable water system. It appears that this connection was in place for a period of about 12 hours. The uranium concentration in the potable supply was about 400 times the water quality guidelines value. The mining company has closed down the water system and it will remain closed until all traces of contamination have been removed. All operations at the mine have been shut down and non-essential mine staff have been sent home. The government, as I say, views this very seriously. The incident is unacceptable to the government and we are very concerned about the possible health implications for the mine staff involved.

Senator Allison specifically asked me whether this showed that the arrangements in place were not working—or a question to that end. These mines have been there for a very long time and, by a large, the safety and maintenance arrangements that are in place have worked well, with some exceptions. This is an exception that is not acceptable to the government and we will be pursuing it. We will also be calling upon the Northern Territory to exercise its responsibilities in relation to the matter. The Supervising Scientist has advised ERA to seek expert medical advice on the possible health consequences of the incident. Indeed, the Supervising Scientist is himself seeking such advice.

Senator ALLISON —Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister acknowledge that this is not a one-off incident? In fact, there have been more than 100 leaks and spills at Ranger. Given the seriousness of this incident, will be minister close the Ranger uranium mine until the inquiry has been completed by the Supervising Scientist? Will the minister shut the mine until monitoring and management systems are in place that can prevent such serious incidents happening in the future? Is he prepared to enforce the federal government's own laws and properly penalise ERA this time?

Senator IAN MACDONALD (Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) —I am not sure, Senator. I will take some advice from Dr Kemp on whether we have the ability to shut the mine down, if indeed that were to be an appropriate response. I repeat what I said to the senator in response to the original question: the mine has been closed by the operators, non-essential staff have been sent home and the mine will remain closed until all traces of contamination have been removed—and that is removed not only to the satisfaction of the company but also to the satisfaction of the government. We are, I repeat for the third time, very concerned about this incident, as no doubt Senator Allison is as well. We will be doing everything to ensure the safety and health of the people involved in that operation.