UN report backs Aborigines

Sydney - The Australian government faces international embarrassment, Aboriginal and green groups claimed last night, after a…

Sydney - The Australian government faces international embarrassment, Aboriginal and green groups claimed last night, after a UN World Heritage committee called for the scrapping of a controversial uranium mine.

The report said the proposed mine would pose a severe danger to the cultural and natural values of the nearby Kakadu National Park, but the federal government said the report was biased and unbalanced.

The Jabiluka uranium mine and mill has been subject to months of blockades and legal challenges by environmentalists and local Aborigines, who objected to the underground workings, and the UN committee's report was their last hope.