Australian uranium and the non-proliferation regime

Australia has the potential to become a major supplier of the Western world's raw nuclear energy requirements and the fact that this uranium can be used for peaceful and military purposes alike, confers on Australia a special responsibility to ensure that it does nothing to assist, and as much as possible to prevent, the proliferation of nuclear weapons. However, there is no agreement between the opponents and proponents of uranium mining and export as to how Australia can best meet its responsibilities in this regard. The author suggests that a conditional moratorium would appear to serve Australia's purpose better than a conditional exports policy. For a conditional moratorium could increase Australia's leverage and, in the present state of uncertainty, could enable Australia to wait until effective safeguards and a comprehensive system for controlling the plutonium economy had been developed, accepted and implemented before feeding its uranium into the nuclear industry