Liberal MPs ejected from SA parliament during debate over nuclear waste dump
A THIRD of lower-house Liberal MPs have been ejected from Question Time and Premier Jay Weatherill has shielded four ministers from calls for them to personally back his nuclear plans.
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A THIRD of lower-house Liberal MPs have been ejected from Question Time and Premier Jay Weatherill has shielded four ministers from calls for them to personally back his plans for a nuclear referendum, as a toxic debate over the industry blew up in State Parliament.
Just 24 hours after Mr Weatherill pushed for a dateless referendum on SA approving a nuclear storage industry, he told Parliament the Government would not seek to change existing state legislation, which bans a dump being set up, or advocate any shift in federal laws.
Mr Weatherill did, however, accept royal commission recommendations around pursuing more uranium mining by simplifying regulations and boosting taxpayer-funded exploration programs.
He said Labor would develop a “new statewide mineral exploration drilling initiative to support the discovery of new mineral deposits ... with a particular focus on uranium”.
“The Government has concluded the only path forward is the resolution of bipartisanship and broad social consent through a state-wide referendum,” he said. “The Government will continue to encourage discussion and remain open to pursuing this opportunity.”
The Opposition sought to expose Labor divisions, including a union movement in public revolt, by calling on a string of ministers to publicly back Mr Weatherill’s nuclear plan.
Left faction ministers Susan Close and Leon Bignell, as well as the Right’s Stephen Mullighan, yesterday deferred Liberal questions on their personal views about nuclear to Mr Weatherill.
Independent Regional Development Minister Geoff Brock rose to his feet to give an answer to a Liberal question about plans for a nuclear dump, before Mr Weatherill stepped in to take it.
“There is a cabinet decision and all cabinet ministers support it,” Mr Weatherill said.
Opposition treasury spokesman Rob Lucas said Mr Weatherill had “taken the extraordinary step of gagging his ministers” and was desperate to “cover up the deep divisions in the Labor Party”.
Earlier, Speaker Michael Atkinson removed seven of the 21 Liberals in the Lower House, including Mr Marshall and other senior frontbenchers over rowdy interjections.
Mr Weatherill said the Liberals were divided over Mr Marshall’s rejection of the dump and being opportunistic by refusing to entertain further public debate on a potentially lucrative industry.
“There are many people who are strongly opposed to it on this side of the chamber, but we as a party have had a discussion and we are prepared to allow this public discussion to continue.
“That has been a difficult thing for our party. There is no doubt about that.
“All we are simply asking for is those opposite to keep an open mind.”