WA Update January 2001

PALADIN RESOURCES are hedging their bets on their number one prospect at Manyingee, with an election that could go either way. In the mean time they are still pursuing the Kayelekera project in a nature reserve in Malawi, Central Africa.

AZTEC RESOURCES (formerly known as Acclaim Uranium) seem to have had enough and look set to give up all their uranium holdings. The status of Lake Maitland, Nowthanna and Millipede/Abercromby is uncertain at the moment, but it seems we may have scored a significant win. In the mean time, Acclaim Chairman Bill Hassel (former Liberal Party leader) is spearheading a dodgy uranium project in Namibia, West Africa.

Rio Tinto have recognised the inherent weakness of the uranium market and have not sought to develop the Kintyre deposit any further. They are still looking to sign an agreement with the reluctant Martu Traditional Owners so the project can be sold off with all approvals in hand.

Western Mining Corporation (WMC) has knowingly left 30,000 tonnes of raw uranium ore - a known carcinogen - blowing in the breeze on the Yeelirrie pastoral station not far from Wiluna. When will it be cleaned up? When WMC is good and ready, according to Minister for Mines Norman Moore.

PANGEA RESOURCES are concentrating their energies on a site near the Cosmo-Newberry Aboriginal Reserve in the Western Officer Basin. In 2002 they will release their proposal for a massive high level nuclear waste dump somewhere in this area, establishing WA as the world's nuclear toilet. Legislation passed in 1999 against such a dump urgently needs to be toughened.