Former ALP national president Warren Mundine has opposed Anthony Albanese’s move to rule out uranium mining at Jabiluka in the Northern Territory and called on state governments to end their bans on extracting the mineral now in hot global demand as a zero-emissions source of energy.

Mr Mundine said it should be up to the Mirarr people, the traditional native titleholders, to negotiate with mining companies such as Energy Resources of Australia over whether to allow the mining of what is considered to be Australia’s best undeveloped uranium deposits, and he respected their decades-long opposition.