Garrett approves new uranium mine

Australia is to get a new uranium mine - courtesy of former anti-nuclear campaigner Peter Garrett.

The federal government has given the go-ahead for the country's fifth uranium mine, to be built in South Australia's northeast.

Mr Garrett sang against the nuclear industry in his days as Midnight Oil frontman.

Now he's sure the new Four Mile mine "poses no credible risk to the environment".

Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt, who supports uranium mining, attacked Mr Garrett for his backflip on the issue.

"The promises Peter Garrett chose to make on uranium mining stand for nothing - and nor does he, any longer," Mr Hunt said.

Mr Garrett said it had been a difficult decision to approve the mine but it was right for him to abide by Labor's policy, which allows for an expansion of uranium mining.

"The values that I had before entering parliament I hold dear," Mr Garrett said.

"(But) the government has made a decision ... on this matter, which I fully accept."

Mr Garrett said there had been a thorough assessment of the proposed mine, and it would be subject to strict conditions.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the Labor Party had publicly changed its policy on uranium mining back in 2007, when the "no-new-mines" policy was dropped.

"It couldn't be more transparent than that," Mr Rudd told ABC Radio.

When asked why he didn't allow a domestic nuclear power industry, Mr Rudd said renewable energy and cleaner-coal technology was the best way for Australia to tackle climate change.

David Noonan, the nuclear-free campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), said the new mine's chemical and radioactive waste would leach into the groundwater.

"We find it entirely unacceptable for the environment to be treated in this way," he said.

When asked about the role of Mr Garrett, a former president of the ACF, Mr Noonan said: "It's not a matter of individuals."

The Australian Uranium Association welcomed the mine and said it would help tackle climate change when production begins next year.

"Uranium is a product which helps the country generate low-carbon electricity, through nuclear energy," said the association's communications director Simon Clarke.

The approval of the mine showed Australia had world's-best-practice standards for uranium mining, he said.

Australia's exports of uranium oxide are worth $900 million a year.

The new mine, which will be close to the Beverley uranium mine, is a joint venture of Alliance Resources Limited and Quasar Resources Pty Ltd.

South Australia's Minister for Mineral Resources Development Paul Holloway said the mine would create 130 jobs during construction.

"This decision will allow this region of the state to continue to supply uranium for several decades to come," he said.

Veteran anti-nuclear campaigner Helen Caldicott accused Mr Garrett of a "descent into moral turpitude".

She said the practice to be used at the mine, which involved pumping sulphuric acid into the uranium ore to dissolve the radioactive materials, was dangerous.

The mine was close to precious underground water stores, and the radioactive waste would be active for up to a million years, Dr Caldicott said.