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THE Queensland government has overturned a decades-old ban on uranium mining in the state, in response to growing support for the industry.

Queensland has not dug for uranium since the Mart Kathleen mine was closed in 1982, while mining the mineral was banned outright in 1989. Only Victoria now prohibits uranium exploration, as New South Wales overturned its own ban earlier this year.

State premier Campbell Newman says that the decision “followed sustained public debate on uranium mining in Queensland, and strong support for the uranium industry from the federal government.”

He continues that Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister, has recently been selling the benefits of Australian-produced uranium to India, which had previously been blacklisted for refusing to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, “prompting many in the community to ask about the industry’s potential in Queensland.”

“It’s been 30 years since there was uranium mining in this state,” Newman adds. “And in that time Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia have carved out successful uranium industries that deliver jobs and prosperity to their regions.”

According to Queensland minister for natural resources and mines Andrew Cripps, the state has known uranium deposits worth an estimated A$10bn (US$10.3bn), and has the potential to hold much more. Last year, uranium exports brought A$705m (US$730m) into South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Despite reversing its policy on uranium mining, however, nuclear energy is still outlawed throughout Australia, and the state government says it will “not consider nuclear energy production or nuclear waste disposal plants in Queensland.”