Summary

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The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Christine Milne, which means that it was rejected. The motion was:

That the Senate-

(a) notes that:

(i) 27 September 2006 is the 50th anniversary of the first of the nuclear tests at Maralinga,

(ii) the nuclear tests resulted in fallout over most of Australia, and especially contaminated great tracts of traditional land, transforming an independent and physically-wide ranging people into a semi-static and dependent group, the damage being radiological, psycho-social and cultural,

(iii) the Royal Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia concluded that, at Maralinga, ‘attempts to ensure Aboriginal safety’ during the tests ‘demonstrate ignorance, incompetence and cynicism on the part of those responsible for that safety’,

(iv) the test site remains radioactive and that there are unresolved issues about compensation for the traditional owners,

(v) approximately 16 000 servicemen exposed to radiation during the tests never received recognition of hazardous service and survivors receive limited ongoing support, and the high mortality and illness rates of these men have not yet been adequately acknowledged or explained,

(vi) the Government breached its own standards for the disposal of long-lived radioactive waste disposal by burying plutonium-contaminated debris in shallow, unlined trenches,

(vii) the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency described the ‘clean-up’ as marred by a ‘host of indiscretions, short-cuts and cover-ups’, and

(viii) the radioactive waste legacy will inevitably be a cost unfairly borne by future Australians; and

(b) calls on the Government to recommit to international nuclear non-proliferation, including ruling out the export of Australian uranium to countries that are not signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and ruling out the development of uranium enrichment plants in Australia.

Votes Not passed by a small majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Democrats (75% turnout) 3 Yes 0 No
Lyn Allison Victoria Yes
Andrew Murray WA Yes
Natasha Stott Despoja SA Yes
Andrew Bartlett Queensland Absent
Australian Greens (100% turnout) 4 Yes 0 No
Bob Brown Tasmania Yes
Christine Milne Tasmania Yes
Kerry Nettle NSW Yes
Rachel Siewert WA Yes
Australian Labor Party (81% turnout) 22 Yes 0 No
Carol Brown Tasmania Yes
George Campbell NSW Yes
Trish Crossin NT Yes
Chris Evans WA Yes
John Faulkner NSW Yes
Michael Forshaw NSW Yes
Annette Hurley SA Yes
Steve Hutchins NSW Yes
Linda Kirk SA Yes
Joe Ludwig Queensland Yes
Kate Lundy ACT Yes
Gavin Marshall Victoria Yes
Anne McEwen SA Yes
Jan McLucas Queensland Yes
Claire Moore Queensland Yes
Kerry O'Brien Tasmania Yes
Helen Polley Tasmania Yes
Robert Ray Victoria Yes
Ursula Stephens NSW Yes
Glenn Sterle WA Yes
Ruth Webber WA Yes
Dana Wortley SA Yes
Mark Bishop WA Absent
Kim Carr Victoria Absent
Stephen Conroy Victoria Absent
Nick Sherry Tasmania Absent
Penny Wong SA Absent
Nigel Scullion NT Country Liberal Party No
John Hogg Queensland Deputy President Yes
Steve Fielding Victoria Family First Party Absent
Liberal Party (84% turnout) 0 Yes 27 No
Eric Abetz Tasmania No
Judith Adams WA No
Guy Barnett Tasmania No
Cory Bernardi SA No
George Brandis Queensland No
Grant Chapman SA No
Richard Colbeck Tasmania No
Helen Coonan NSW No
Alan Eggleston WA No
Alan Ferguson SA No
Jeannie Ferris SA No
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW No
Mitch Fifield Victoria No
Bill Heffernan NSW No
Gary Humphries ACT No
Ross Lightfoot WA No
Ian Macdonald Queensland No
Brett Mason Queensland No
Nick Minchin SA No
Stephen Parry Tasmania No
Kay Patterson Victoria No
Marise Payne NSW No
Michael Ronaldson Victoria No
Santo Santoro Queensland No
Judith Troeth Victoria No
Russell Trood Queensland No
John Watson Tasmania No
Ian Campbell WA Absent
Chris Ellison WA Absent
David Johnston WA Absent
Rod Kemp Victoria Absent
Amanda Vanstone SA Absent
National Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 5 No
Ron Boswell Queensland No
Barnaby Joyce Queensland No
Sandy Macdonald NSW No
Julian McGauran Victoria No
Fiona Nash NSW No
Paul Calvert Tasmania President No
Totals (84% turnout) 30 Yes – 34 No