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REMARKS BY THE AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER
H.E. MR PHILIP GREEN O.A.M.
AT THE OPENING OF THE LANGER HEINRICH URANIUM MINE
SWAKOPMUND, NAMIBIA
15 MARCH 2006
YOUR EXCELLENCY HIFEKEPUNYE POHAMBA, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA
HONOURABLE NGHIMTINA, MINISTER OF MINES AN ENERGY
HONOURABLE YA KASITA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND ENERGY
HONOURABLE ESAU, DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY
GOVERNOR NUUYOMA
COUNCILLOR, YOUR WORSHIP, HOABES, MAYOR OF SWAKOPMUND
COUNCILLOR, YOUR WORSHIP KLAZEN, MAYOR OF WALVIS BAY
MR RICK CRABBE, CHAIRMAN OF PALADIN RESOURCES
MR JOHN BORSHOFF, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PALADIN RESOURCES
PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF MINES AND ITS CEO
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
I AM PROUD AND PRIVILEGED TO BE HERE TODAY, REPRESENTING THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, AT THE BIRTH OF A MAJOR NEW PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA AND AUSTRALIA.
WE MARK TODAY THE OPENING OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT COMMERCIAL LINK BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES IN THE NEARLY SEVENTEEN YEAR HISTORY OF OUR RELATIONS, AND ONE OF THE STRONGEST OF THE MANY CONNECTIONS THAT WE SHARE.
GARNET HALLIDAY
TODAY THEREFORE IS A GOOD DAY, WHEN WE CELEBRATE OUR PARTNERSHIP, THE SKILLS OF OUR PEOPLE, THE BOUNTY OF OUR LANDS AND OUR COMMITMENT TO WORK TOGETHER IN NEW FIELDS.
I REGRET TO SAY, HOWEVER, YOUR EXCELLENCY, THAT MANY OF US HERE TODAY ARE NOT ABLE TO CELEBRATE THESE ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE JOYFUL WAY THAT WE HAD ANTICIPATED. I EXPECT THAT THE NEWS HAS COME TO YOU THAT A KEY MEMBER OF THE PALADIN TEAM AND A COUNTRYMAN OF MINE, GARNET HALLIDAY, WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM US IN A TRAGIC AIR ACCIDENT LAST WEEK.
MR HALLIDAY PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ESTABLISHING THE LANGER HEINRICH URANIUM PROJECT, AND WAS A DRIVING FORCE BEHIND WHAT WE ARE CELEBRATING.
HE WAS ALSO A FRIEND OF MINE, AND OF MANY WHO ARE HERE TODAY. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT HE WAS A GENTLE, QUIET, AND THOROUGHLY DECENT MAN, FULL OF INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONALISM.
HE WILL BE MISSED BY ALL OF US. HE WILL NOT, HOWEVER BE FORGOTTEN. THE FRIENDSHIPS THAT HE MADE IN AFRICA WILL KEEP HIM IN OUR HEARTS, AND THIS PROJECT WILL STAND AS A PHYSICAL TESTAMENT TO HIS WORK.
AUSTRALIA AND NAMIBIA
THIS EVENT TODAY IS A LANDMARK NOT ONLY FOR THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF NAMIBIA, BUT ALSO FOR AUSTRALIA’S RELATIONS WITH THIS COUNTRY. IT FORMS A NEW AND SIGNIFICANT CHAPTER IN WHAT IS ALREADY A PROUD HISTORY OF COOPERATION.
WE COME FROM DISTANT LANDS, AND HAVE IN MANY WAYS DIFFERENT CULTURES. BUT HISTORY, THE STRUGGLE FOR DIGNITY, AND THE SHARED CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR LANDS HAVE BROUGHT US TOGETHER IN IMPORTANT WAYS OVER THE YEARS.
WELL BEFORE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF NAMIBIAN INDEPENDENCE, AUSTRALIA WAS ALREADY ENGAGED IN SUPPORTING THE STRUGGLE OF NAMIBIANS FOR THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD. AUSTRALIA PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR S.W.A.P.O. OVER MANY YEARS, NOTABLY FUNDING NAMIBIAN REFUGEES TO STUDY IN AUSTRALIA.
I WAS PERSONALLY TOUCHED BY THIS. ONE OF YOUR COMRADES, MR PRESIDENT, ONE WILLIAM AMAGULU, TRAINED TO BE A DIPLOMAT IN CANBERRA ALONGSIDE ME AND OTHER AUSTRALIANS IN THE EARLY 1980S. WILLIAM WAS MY CLOSEST FRIEND ON OUR TRAINING COURSE, AND A STRONG BOND REMAINS BETWEEN US, MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS LATER.
SINCE 1960, NEARLY 100 NAMIBIANS HAVE STUDIED IN AUSTRALIA, FUNDED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT. AUSTRALIA’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SKILLS OF NAMIBIANS PERSISTS, AND WE SUPPORT NEW NAMIBIAN SCHOLARS TO TRAIN IN AUSTRALIA EACH YEAR. THIS AND OTHER FORMS OF COOPERATION HAS BEEN WORTH MORE THAN FIFTEEN MILLION AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS (AROUND EIGHTY MILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS) SINCE 1990.
AUSTRALIA ALSO PLAYED A CREDITABLE ROLE IN NAMIBIA’S TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY. OUR DEFENCE FORCE CONTRIBUTED 600 ARMY ENGINEERS TO THE UNITED NATIONS TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE GROUP. THEIR ROLE WAS PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT, AS THEY AND ONE OF ONLY TWO U.N. CONTINGENTS ON THE GROUND WHEN THE CEASEFIRE COLLAPSED IN APRIL 1989. THEY WERE HURRIEDLY DEPLOYED TO BOLSTER A RENEGOTIATED CEASEFIRE; WHICH THANKFULLY HELD, AND HELPED PAVE THE WAY TO NAMIBIA’S PEACEFUL TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY.
A SECOND AUSTRALIAN CONTINGENT IN 1990 WAS ALSO INSTRUMENTAL THE SUCCESSFUL RETURN OF THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES AND THE CONDUCT OF THE GENERAL ELECTION.
SINCE NAMIBIA’S ENTRY INTO THE FAMILY OF NATIONS, WE HAVE WORKED CLOSELY TOGETHER IN FORUMS LIKE THE COMMONWEALTH, AND ON SHARED INTERESTS SUCH AS IN COUNTERING ILLEGAL FISHING.
SO TODAY’S EVENTS – IMPORTANT AS THEY ARE – FORM PART OF A WIDER WEB OF CONTACTS BETWEEN OUR NATIONS.
PALADIN
MR PRESIDENT, MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO, THE AUSTRALIAN POET, A. B. PATERSON, KNOWN AS ‘BANJO’ PENNED THE FOLLOWING LINES:
“THERE WAS MOVEMENT AT THE STATION FOR THE WORD HAD PASSED AROUND
THAT THE COLT FROM OLD REGRET HAD GOT AWAY
AND HAD JOINED THE WILD BUSH HORSES – HE WAS WORTH A THOUSAND POUND,
SO ALL THE CRACKS HAD GATHERED TO THE FRAY.”
THE WORDS BEGIN ONE OF OUR MOST FAMOUS BUSH BALLADS, A FORM OF POETRY PARTICULAR TO AUSTRALIA, WHICH FOCUSED ON LIFE IN AUSTRALIA’S HARSH RURAL ENVIRONMENT.
PATERSON’S POEM IS ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR A VALUABLE HORSE, CONDUCTED IN ROUGH BUSH COUNTRY, IN WHICH ONLY THE TOUGHEST AND ABLEST HORSEMAN, THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER, IS ABLE TO PREVAIL.
BANJO PATERSON DESCRIBES THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER LIKE THIS: …
“HE WAS HARD AND TOUGH AND WIRY – JUST THE SORT THAT WONT SAY DIE -
THERE WAS COURAGE IN HIS QUICK IMPATIENT TREAD;
AND HE BORE THE BADGE OF GAMENESS IN HIS BRIGHT AND FIERY EYE,
AND THE PROUD AND LOFTY CARRIAGE OF HIS HEAD.”
THE POEM REMINDS US OF THE SORT OF PEOPLE WHO, ACCORDING TO OUR FOLKLORE, DEVELOPED AUSTRALIA – TOUGH, RESILIENT CHARACTERS; PEOPLE OF FEW WORDS, BUT WHO ACHIEVE A LOT.
AUSTRALIA HAS CHANGED SUBSTANTIALLY IN A HUNDRED YEARS, AND WE ARE NOW A LARGELY URBAN POPULATION, LIVING MOSTLY COMFORTABLE LIVES ON THE SEABOARD, AWAY FROM THE HARSH ENVIRONMENTS OF OUR INTERIOR.
BUT SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AUSTRALIAN PIONEERS – THAT TOUGHNESS, RESILIENCE AND PREPAREDNESS TO TAKE ON DANGER AND RISK – ARE STILL ALIVE IN OUR CULTURE. THOSE CHARACTERISTICS ARE REPRESENTED IN PARTICULAR IN THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR MINING INDUSTRY.
SHADES OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS ARE ALIVE IN THE PEOPLE WHO RUN PALADIN RESOURCES. THEY ARE SKILLED AND RESOURCEFUL. THEY HAVE BEEN UNDETERRED BY RISK. AND, WHILE OTHERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT SOMETHING THEY MIGHT DO AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, PALADIN HAVE GONE AHEAD AND DONE IT.
ONLY FIVE YEARS AGO, PALADIN SECURED THE RIGHTS TO MINE THIS GROUND. CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN 2005. AND NOW, A MINE IS BUILT, ALREADY PRODUCING YELLOWCAKE AND SOON TO BE PAYING DIVIDENDS TO THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF NAMIBIA.
• I AM ADVISED THAT THIS MINE IS ANTICIPATED TO DELIVER $US35 MILLION DOLLARS TO NAMIBIA IN ROYALTIES EACH YEAR.
• IT WILL CONTRIBUTE ONE POINT TWO BILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS PER ANNUM IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE.
• IMPORTANTLY, IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT AND DEVELOP THE SKILLS OF NAMIBIANS. I AM ADVISED THAT IT WILL CREATE 250 PERMANENT JOBS, OF WHICH ONLY FOUR ARE EXPECTED TO BE FILLED BY FOREIGNERS.
AUSTRALIA, MINING AND AFRICA
WHAT PALADIN IS DOING HERE IN NAMIBIA IS IMPRESSIVE, BUT IT IS NOT UNIQUE. THROUGHOUT AFRICA, AUSTRALIAN MINING COMPANIES ARE COOPERATING WITH GOVERNMENTS TO DEVELOP THEIR NATURAL RESOURCES. THERE ARE MANY NEW PROJECTS, INCLUDING IN PLACES AS FAR AFIELD AS BURKINA FASO, MADAGASCAR, BOTSWANA AND THE CONGO.
THE AUSTRALIAN MINING INTEREST IN AFRICA IS SUBSTANTIAL. OVER THE YEARS, MORE THAN FIFTEEN BILLION US DOLLARS HAS BEEN INVESTED BY AUSTRALIAN MINING COMPANIES IN AFRICA – THAT’S MORE THAN A HUNDRED BILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS.
THAT INVESTMENT IS BACKED BY SKILLS AND TECHNOLOGIES BUILT UP IN THE MINING INDUSTRY IN OUR OWN COUNTRY.
MINING IS A VITAL INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA. RESOURCES AND FUELS MAKE UP MORE THAN 40 PER CENT OF AUSTRALIA’S EXPORTS. AUSTRALIA IS THE WORLD LARGEST EXPORTER OF COAL, BAUXITE AND MINERAL SANDS. IT IS THE SECOND LARGEST EXPORTER OF URANIUM AND IRON ORE; AND THE WORLD’S THIRD LARGEST EXPORTER OF GOLD.
THIS MAKES AUSTRALIA UNUSUAL AMONG DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. JUST AS IT IS FOR MANY COUNTRIES IN AFRICA, MINING IS A VITAL INDUSTRY FOR AUSTRALIA. THAT BRINGS VALUABLE SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE AUSTRALIAN RESOURCE INDUSTRY AND AFRICAN STATES WITH RESOURCE ENDOWMENTS.
TYPICALLY, AUSTRALIAN MINERS BRING TO THEIR WORK IN AFRICA THE HIGH STANDARDS THAT ARE EXPECTED OF THEM IN AUSTRALIA. THEY BRING AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONALISM, NOT ONLY IN MINING ITSELF, BUT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
THE AUSTRALIAN MINING COMMUNITY IS CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED FOR SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, TO ENSURE THAT THE BENEFIT OF MINING IS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. THEY UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SO THAT, BEFORE TOO LONG, MANY MORE AFRICANS CAN BE ENGAGED THEMSELVES IN MINING OPERATIONS. AND, BECAUSE OF OUR OWN FRAGILE ENVIRONMENT – WE LIVE IN THE DRIEST CONTINENT ON EARTH, WITH MANY FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS – WE UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
AS A PART OF THE NUCLEAR FUEL INDUSTRY, THIS PROJECT HAS A SPECIAL RELEVANCE TO CURRENT GLOBAL EVENTS. THE ATTITUDE TO NUCLEAR POWER GLOBALLY IS CHANGING. THERE IS AN INCREASING RECOGNITION OF THE BENEFITS THAT URANIUM HOLDS FOR OUR ENERGY NEEDS, AND THE POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS IT OFFERS TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS.
IN ITS WORLD ENERGY OUTLOOK 2006, THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY FOUND THAT “THE WORLD IS FACING TWIN ENERGY-RELATED THREATS: THAT OF NOT HAVING ADEQUATE AND SECURE SUPPLIES OF ENERGY AT AFFORDABLE PRICES, AND THAT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HARM CAUSED BY CONSUMING TOO MUCH OF IT.”
NUCLEAR ENERGY OFFERS SOME POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS TO THESE TWIN THREATS. NUCLEAR IS AN EFFICIENT, COST EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SOURCE OF ENERGY. REMARKABLY, A 30 GRAM PELLET OF URANIUM OXIDE PROVIDES AS MUCH ENERGY AS TWO TONNES OF COAL, OR ABOUT TEN BARRELS OF OIL, WITH NO EMISSIONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE.
THE BENEFITS THAT NUCLEAR POWER HOLDS FOR THE WORLD’S ENERGY NEEDS IS A STORY THAT AUSTRALIA IS FAMILIAR WITH. AUSTRALIA IS HOME TO SOME 38 PER CENT OF THE WORLD’S TOTAL URANIUM RESERVES, AND AUSTRALIA IS A MAJOR SUPPLIER TO THE GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY.
FOR COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRALIA AND NAMIBIA, THIS ROLE IN THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY BRINGS RESPONSIBILITIES AS WELL AS BENEFITS,. STRINGENT SAFEGUARDS AND OTHER MEASURES ARE APPLIED TO ENSURE THAT URANIUM CAN NOT BE DIVERTED FROM PEACEFUL PURPOSES, AS IT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE.
LIKE NAMIBIA, AUSTRALIA IS A LONG STANDING MEMBER OF THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY AND THE IAEA SAFEGUARDS SYSTEM. WHILE THESE SYSTEMS HAVE PROVED EFFECTIVE IN AVOIDING PROLIFERATION, COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRALIA AND NAMIBIA NEED TO ENSURE THAT THEIR SYSTEMS REMAIN UP TO THE TASK OF ENSURING THAT NUCLEAR MATERIAL IS NOT DIVERTED FROM THE CIVIL NUCLEAR INDUSTRY TO ALLOW NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION TO OCCUR.
CONCLUSION
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I AM VERY PLEASED TO BE INVOLVED WITH THE OPENING OF THE LANGER HEINRICH URANIUM PROJECT, DEVELOPED BY PALADIN RESOURCES. IT REPRESENTS THE IMPRESSIVE JOINT WORK OF AUSTRALIANS AND NAMIBIANS, AND MARKS A NEW AND MAJOR STRAND IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US.
OTANDI PANDULA AMUSHE OVO MWA MANGA OUKUNI KUMWE MOKU TOTA PO OMINA EI.
NOTANDI HALELE OMINA EI ONAKUIWA IWA, OPO I ETE OMAUWA MAHAPU MONAMIBIA.
ONDA PANDULA UNENE.
H.E. MR PHILIP GREEN O.A.M.
AT THE OPENING OF THE LANGER HEINRICH URANIUM MINE
SWAKOPMUND, NAMIBIA
15 MARCH 2006
YOUR EXCELLENCY HIFEKEPUNYE POHAMBA, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA
HONOURABLE NGHIMTINA, MINISTER OF MINES AN ENERGY
HONOURABLE YA KASITA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND ENERGY
HONOURABLE ESAU, DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY
GOVERNOR NUUYOMA
COUNCILLOR, YOUR WORSHIP, HOABES, MAYOR OF SWAKOPMUND
COUNCILLOR, YOUR WORSHIP KLAZEN, MAYOR OF WALVIS BAY
MR RICK CRABBE, CHAIRMAN OF PALADIN RESOURCES
MR JOHN BORSHOFF, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PALADIN RESOURCES
PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF MINES AND ITS CEO
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
I AM PROUD AND PRIVILEGED TO BE HERE TODAY, REPRESENTING THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, AT THE BIRTH OF A MAJOR NEW PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA AND AUSTRALIA.
WE MARK TODAY THE OPENING OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT COMMERCIAL LINK BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES IN THE NEARLY SEVENTEEN YEAR HISTORY OF OUR RELATIONS, AND ONE OF THE STRONGEST OF THE MANY CONNECTIONS THAT WE SHARE.
GARNET HALLIDAY
TODAY THEREFORE IS A GOOD DAY, WHEN WE CELEBRATE OUR PARTNERSHIP, THE SKILLS OF OUR PEOPLE, THE BOUNTY OF OUR LANDS AND OUR COMMITMENT TO WORK TOGETHER IN NEW FIELDS.
I REGRET TO SAY, HOWEVER, YOUR EXCELLENCY, THAT MANY OF US HERE TODAY ARE NOT ABLE TO CELEBRATE THESE ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE JOYFUL WAY THAT WE HAD ANTICIPATED. I EXPECT THAT THE NEWS HAS COME TO YOU THAT A KEY MEMBER OF THE PALADIN TEAM AND A COUNTRYMAN OF MINE, GARNET HALLIDAY, WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM US IN A TRAGIC AIR ACCIDENT LAST WEEK.
MR HALLIDAY PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ESTABLISHING THE LANGER HEINRICH URANIUM PROJECT, AND WAS A DRIVING FORCE BEHIND WHAT WE ARE CELEBRATING.
HE WAS ALSO A FRIEND OF MINE, AND OF MANY WHO ARE HERE TODAY. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT HE WAS A GENTLE, QUIET, AND THOROUGHLY DECENT MAN, FULL OF INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONALISM.
HE WILL BE MISSED BY ALL OF US. HE WILL NOT, HOWEVER BE FORGOTTEN. THE FRIENDSHIPS THAT HE MADE IN AFRICA WILL KEEP HIM IN OUR HEARTS, AND THIS PROJECT WILL STAND AS A PHYSICAL TESTAMENT TO HIS WORK.
AUSTRALIA AND NAMIBIA
THIS EVENT TODAY IS A LANDMARK NOT ONLY FOR THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF NAMIBIA, BUT ALSO FOR AUSTRALIA’S RELATIONS WITH THIS COUNTRY. IT FORMS A NEW AND SIGNIFICANT CHAPTER IN WHAT IS ALREADY A PROUD HISTORY OF COOPERATION.
WE COME FROM DISTANT LANDS, AND HAVE IN MANY WAYS DIFFERENT CULTURES. BUT HISTORY, THE STRUGGLE FOR DIGNITY, AND THE SHARED CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR LANDS HAVE BROUGHT US TOGETHER IN IMPORTANT WAYS OVER THE YEARS.
WELL BEFORE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF NAMIBIAN INDEPENDENCE, AUSTRALIA WAS ALREADY ENGAGED IN SUPPORTING THE STRUGGLE OF NAMIBIANS FOR THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD. AUSTRALIA PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR S.W.A.P.O. OVER MANY YEARS, NOTABLY FUNDING NAMIBIAN REFUGEES TO STUDY IN AUSTRALIA.
I WAS PERSONALLY TOUCHED BY THIS. ONE OF YOUR COMRADES, MR PRESIDENT, ONE WILLIAM AMAGULU, TRAINED TO BE A DIPLOMAT IN CANBERRA ALONGSIDE ME AND OTHER AUSTRALIANS IN THE EARLY 1980S. WILLIAM WAS MY CLOSEST FRIEND ON OUR TRAINING COURSE, AND A STRONG BOND REMAINS BETWEEN US, MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS LATER.
SINCE 1960, NEARLY 100 NAMIBIANS HAVE STUDIED IN AUSTRALIA, FUNDED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT. AUSTRALIA’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SKILLS OF NAMIBIANS PERSISTS, AND WE SUPPORT NEW NAMIBIAN SCHOLARS TO TRAIN IN AUSTRALIA EACH YEAR. THIS AND OTHER FORMS OF COOPERATION HAS BEEN WORTH MORE THAN FIFTEEN MILLION AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS (AROUND EIGHTY MILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS) SINCE 1990.
AUSTRALIA ALSO PLAYED A CREDITABLE ROLE IN NAMIBIA’S TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY. OUR DEFENCE FORCE CONTRIBUTED 600 ARMY ENGINEERS TO THE UNITED NATIONS TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE GROUP. THEIR ROLE WAS PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT, AS THEY AND ONE OF ONLY TWO U.N. CONTINGENTS ON THE GROUND WHEN THE CEASEFIRE COLLAPSED IN APRIL 1989. THEY WERE HURRIEDLY DEPLOYED TO BOLSTER A RENEGOTIATED CEASEFIRE; WHICH THANKFULLY HELD, AND HELPED PAVE THE WAY TO NAMIBIA’S PEACEFUL TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY.
A SECOND AUSTRALIAN CONTINGENT IN 1990 WAS ALSO INSTRUMENTAL THE SUCCESSFUL RETURN OF THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES AND THE CONDUCT OF THE GENERAL ELECTION.
SINCE NAMIBIA’S ENTRY INTO THE FAMILY OF NATIONS, WE HAVE WORKED CLOSELY TOGETHER IN FORUMS LIKE THE COMMONWEALTH, AND ON SHARED INTERESTS SUCH AS IN COUNTERING ILLEGAL FISHING.
SO TODAY’S EVENTS – IMPORTANT AS THEY ARE – FORM PART OF A WIDER WEB OF CONTACTS BETWEEN OUR NATIONS.
PALADIN
MR PRESIDENT, MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO, THE AUSTRALIAN POET, A. B. PATERSON, KNOWN AS ‘BANJO’ PENNED THE FOLLOWING LINES:
“THERE WAS MOVEMENT AT THE STATION FOR THE WORD HAD PASSED AROUND
THAT THE COLT FROM OLD REGRET HAD GOT AWAY
AND HAD JOINED THE WILD BUSH HORSES – HE WAS WORTH A THOUSAND POUND,
SO ALL THE CRACKS HAD GATHERED TO THE FRAY.”
THE WORDS BEGIN ONE OF OUR MOST FAMOUS BUSH BALLADS, A FORM OF POETRY PARTICULAR TO AUSTRALIA, WHICH FOCUSED ON LIFE IN AUSTRALIA’S HARSH RURAL ENVIRONMENT.
PATERSON’S POEM IS ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR A VALUABLE HORSE, CONDUCTED IN ROUGH BUSH COUNTRY, IN WHICH ONLY THE TOUGHEST AND ABLEST HORSEMAN, THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER, IS ABLE TO PREVAIL.
BANJO PATERSON DESCRIBES THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER LIKE THIS: …
“HE WAS HARD AND TOUGH AND WIRY – JUST THE SORT THAT WONT SAY DIE -
THERE WAS COURAGE IN HIS QUICK IMPATIENT TREAD;
AND HE BORE THE BADGE OF GAMENESS IN HIS BRIGHT AND FIERY EYE,
AND THE PROUD AND LOFTY CARRIAGE OF HIS HEAD.”
THE POEM REMINDS US OF THE SORT OF PEOPLE WHO, ACCORDING TO OUR FOLKLORE, DEVELOPED AUSTRALIA – TOUGH, RESILIENT CHARACTERS; PEOPLE OF FEW WORDS, BUT WHO ACHIEVE A LOT.
AUSTRALIA HAS CHANGED SUBSTANTIALLY IN A HUNDRED YEARS, AND WE ARE NOW A LARGELY URBAN POPULATION, LIVING MOSTLY COMFORTABLE LIVES ON THE SEABOARD, AWAY FROM THE HARSH ENVIRONMENTS OF OUR INTERIOR.
BUT SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AUSTRALIAN PIONEERS – THAT TOUGHNESS, RESILIENCE AND PREPAREDNESS TO TAKE ON DANGER AND RISK – ARE STILL ALIVE IN OUR CULTURE. THOSE CHARACTERISTICS ARE REPRESENTED IN PARTICULAR IN THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR MINING INDUSTRY.
SHADES OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS ARE ALIVE IN THE PEOPLE WHO RUN PALADIN RESOURCES. THEY ARE SKILLED AND RESOURCEFUL. THEY HAVE BEEN UNDETERRED BY RISK. AND, WHILE OTHERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT SOMETHING THEY MIGHT DO AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, PALADIN HAVE GONE AHEAD AND DONE IT.
ONLY FIVE YEARS AGO, PALADIN SECURED THE RIGHTS TO MINE THIS GROUND. CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN 2005. AND NOW, A MINE IS BUILT, ALREADY PRODUCING YELLOWCAKE AND SOON TO BE PAYING DIVIDENDS TO THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF NAMIBIA.
• I AM ADVISED THAT THIS MINE IS ANTICIPATED TO DELIVER $US35 MILLION DOLLARS TO NAMIBIA IN ROYALTIES EACH YEAR.
• IT WILL CONTRIBUTE ONE POINT TWO BILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS PER ANNUM IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE.
• IMPORTANTLY, IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT AND DEVELOP THE SKILLS OF NAMIBIANS. I AM ADVISED THAT IT WILL CREATE 250 PERMANENT JOBS, OF WHICH ONLY FOUR ARE EXPECTED TO BE FILLED BY FOREIGNERS.
AUSTRALIA, MINING AND AFRICA
WHAT PALADIN IS DOING HERE IN NAMIBIA IS IMPRESSIVE, BUT IT IS NOT UNIQUE. THROUGHOUT AFRICA, AUSTRALIAN MINING COMPANIES ARE COOPERATING WITH GOVERNMENTS TO DEVELOP THEIR NATURAL RESOURCES. THERE ARE MANY NEW PROJECTS, INCLUDING IN PLACES AS FAR AFIELD AS BURKINA FASO, MADAGASCAR, BOTSWANA AND THE CONGO.
THE AUSTRALIAN MINING INTEREST IN AFRICA IS SUBSTANTIAL. OVER THE YEARS, MORE THAN FIFTEEN BILLION US DOLLARS HAS BEEN INVESTED BY AUSTRALIAN MINING COMPANIES IN AFRICA – THAT’S MORE THAN A HUNDRED BILLION NAMIBIAN DOLLARS.
THAT INVESTMENT IS BACKED BY SKILLS AND TECHNOLOGIES BUILT UP IN THE MINING INDUSTRY IN OUR OWN COUNTRY.
MINING IS A VITAL INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA. RESOURCES AND FUELS MAKE UP MORE THAN 40 PER CENT OF AUSTRALIA’S EXPORTS. AUSTRALIA IS THE WORLD LARGEST EXPORTER OF COAL, BAUXITE AND MINERAL SANDS. IT IS THE SECOND LARGEST EXPORTER OF URANIUM AND IRON ORE; AND THE WORLD’S THIRD LARGEST EXPORTER OF GOLD.
THIS MAKES AUSTRALIA UNUSUAL AMONG DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. JUST AS IT IS FOR MANY COUNTRIES IN AFRICA, MINING IS A VITAL INDUSTRY FOR AUSTRALIA. THAT BRINGS VALUABLE SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE AUSTRALIAN RESOURCE INDUSTRY AND AFRICAN STATES WITH RESOURCE ENDOWMENTS.
TYPICALLY, AUSTRALIAN MINERS BRING TO THEIR WORK IN AFRICA THE HIGH STANDARDS THAT ARE EXPECTED OF THEM IN AUSTRALIA. THEY BRING AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONALISM, NOT ONLY IN MINING ITSELF, BUT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
THE AUSTRALIAN MINING COMMUNITY IS CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED FOR SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, TO ENSURE THAT THE BENEFIT OF MINING IS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. THEY UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SO THAT, BEFORE TOO LONG, MANY MORE AFRICANS CAN BE ENGAGED THEMSELVES IN MINING OPERATIONS. AND, BECAUSE OF OUR OWN FRAGILE ENVIRONMENT – WE LIVE IN THE DRIEST CONTINENT ON EARTH, WITH MANY FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS – WE UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
AS A PART OF THE NUCLEAR FUEL INDUSTRY, THIS PROJECT HAS A SPECIAL RELEVANCE TO CURRENT GLOBAL EVENTS. THE ATTITUDE TO NUCLEAR POWER GLOBALLY IS CHANGING. THERE IS AN INCREASING RECOGNITION OF THE BENEFITS THAT URANIUM HOLDS FOR OUR ENERGY NEEDS, AND THE POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS IT OFFERS TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS.
IN ITS WORLD ENERGY OUTLOOK 2006, THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY FOUND THAT “THE WORLD IS FACING TWIN ENERGY-RELATED THREATS: THAT OF NOT HAVING ADEQUATE AND SECURE SUPPLIES OF ENERGY AT AFFORDABLE PRICES, AND THAT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HARM CAUSED BY CONSUMING TOO MUCH OF IT.”
NUCLEAR ENERGY OFFERS SOME POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS TO THESE TWIN THREATS. NUCLEAR IS AN EFFICIENT, COST EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SOURCE OF ENERGY. REMARKABLY, A 30 GRAM PELLET OF URANIUM OXIDE PROVIDES AS MUCH ENERGY AS TWO TONNES OF COAL, OR ABOUT TEN BARRELS OF OIL, WITH NO EMISSIONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE.
THE BENEFITS THAT NUCLEAR POWER HOLDS FOR THE WORLD’S ENERGY NEEDS IS A STORY THAT AUSTRALIA IS FAMILIAR WITH. AUSTRALIA IS HOME TO SOME 38 PER CENT OF THE WORLD’S TOTAL URANIUM RESERVES, AND AUSTRALIA IS A MAJOR SUPPLIER TO THE GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY.
FOR COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRALIA AND NAMIBIA, THIS ROLE IN THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY BRINGS RESPONSIBILITIES AS WELL AS BENEFITS,. STRINGENT SAFEGUARDS AND OTHER MEASURES ARE APPLIED TO ENSURE THAT URANIUM CAN NOT BE DIVERTED FROM PEACEFUL PURPOSES, AS IT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE.
LIKE NAMIBIA, AUSTRALIA IS A LONG STANDING MEMBER OF THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY AND THE IAEA SAFEGUARDS SYSTEM. WHILE THESE SYSTEMS HAVE PROVED EFFECTIVE IN AVOIDING PROLIFERATION, COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRALIA AND NAMIBIA NEED TO ENSURE THAT THEIR SYSTEMS REMAIN UP TO THE TASK OF ENSURING THAT NUCLEAR MATERIAL IS NOT DIVERTED FROM THE CIVIL NUCLEAR INDUSTRY TO ALLOW NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION TO OCCUR.
CONCLUSION
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I AM VERY PLEASED TO BE INVOLVED WITH THE OPENING OF THE LANGER HEINRICH URANIUM PROJECT, DEVELOPED BY PALADIN RESOURCES. IT REPRESENTS THE IMPRESSIVE JOINT WORK OF AUSTRALIANS AND NAMIBIANS, AND MARKS A NEW AND MAJOR STRAND IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US.
OTANDI PANDULA AMUSHE OVO MWA MANGA OUKUNI KUMWE MOKU TOTA PO OMINA EI.
NOTANDI HALELE OMINA EI ONAKUIWA IWA, OPO I ETE OMAUWA MAHAPU MONAMIBIA.
ONDA PANDULA UNENE.