The opposition Labour conference has voted 209 to 190 to allow the expansion of uranium mining in Australia. This is a much closer result than most commentators had predicted.

With these new amendments to Labour policy individual states will be able to authorise the development of new uranium mines. However, uranium exports will be restricted to those countries that have signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The Minerals Council of Australia welcomed the new policy, but Queensland and Western Australia now need to support new uranium mines. However, Western Australia’s ruling Labour Premier Alan Carpenter said he would not be bound by his party’s new policy, and he would use his state powers to ensure the vast untapped uranium reserves in his state would be left in the ground. Mr Peter Beattie, the premier of the state of Queensland has also said he would continue to ban uranium mining, meaning the country’s two biggest mining states would not be part of an expanded uranium sector.

While the Labour Party is still in opposition they do lead the popularity poles going into the next election. This result effectively transfers the decision-making power from the federal government to the state government, but as we can see two of the states oppose the expansion of uranium mining.

The game is not over yet.