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“We are not opposing it through some sort of ideological bent,” Ludlam declared Tuesday in the Australian Parliament, airing his party’s stance of halting the mining of uranium at the Kakadu National Park and its export to Russia and India.

“There are some really serious economic, social, environmental and Aboriginal issues at stake here if we just allow this industry to plough ahead,” he added.

On Feb. 9, a report by environmental regulators submitted to Australia’s Senate Estimates Committee found that water seeping from the Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu National Park was contaminated with a uranium concentration of 27,000 parts per billion flowing into waterways onto the surrounding Aboriginal land.

Energy and Resources Minister Martin Ferguson accused the Green Party of trying to create an air of uncertainty for investment in Australia, while Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia chief executive Reg Howard-Smith said, “In the last financial year, more than $55 million was spent by companies exploring for uranium in Western Australia, adding another string to the bow of WA’s resource sector. If just one mine results, it will mean hundreds of new jobs.”

Opposition energy and resources spokesman Ian Macfarlane called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to rule out any restriction on the industry, pointing out that, “Any move to limit uranium mining and exporting would be counterproductive to both Australia’s economy and the reduction of carbon emissions, because the uranium exported from Australia is used to generate zero emissions power.”