To what extent should there be restrictions on uranium mining in Australia? Uranium has become a big problem as an alternative energy resource in the future due to the shortage of fossil fuel as a primary energy resource source in the world. Australia is one of the countries with the largest uranium deposits in the world. Thus, Australia has significant opportunities to earn a lot of money from uranium exports to other countries. However, the Australian government is still debating this issue due to the negative impact of uranium mining and exploration. For this reason, some people believe that uranium mining has more positive impacts on the economy, such as income benefits from uranium exports and an increase in new job opportunities. However, this essay will argue that a total ban on uranium mining in Australia is needed because it produces radioactive waste, inefficient and ineffective nuclear technology, and the use of uranium for nuclear weapons. Uranium could be used as a material for the production of nuclear weapons that can cause massive destruction. Furthermore, nuclear energy is not an efficient and effective energy resource because it is very expensive, it takes a long time to build a nuclear power plant, and there are waste storage problems. Additionally, uranium mining will spread radiation that has harmful effects on humans. The first argument against restrictions on uranium mining in Australia is the economic benefit of this industry. According to the International Journal of Environmental Studies (2006), the first commercial uranium mining in Australia began in the 1950s for American and British nuclear weapons programs. Then, in the 1970s, uranium deposits were discovered in South A... middle of paper... gray nations like China, Korea and India. However, the Australian government's policy of not exporting uranium to countries that have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, meaning that the Australian government will not sell uranium to any country that may use it for nuclear weapons programs. Therefore, as long as uranium is used as a new alternative energy resource, it will not be a problem to export it. In short, there are some arguments to support uranium mining because it has positive impacts on the economy, such as financial benefits from uranium exports. and creates new job opportunities. However, uranium mining has some downsides such as; produce radioactive waste, inefficient and effective energy technologies, and the use of uranium to produce nuclear weapons. Therefore, there should be restrictions on uranium mining in Australia.