McClelland Royal Commission
Encyclopedia
The McClelland Royal Commission or Royal Commission into British nuclear tests in Australia was an inquiry
by the Australian government
in 1984-1985 to investigate the conduct of the British
in its use, with the then Australian government's permission, of Australian territory
and soldiers for testing nuclear weapons. It was chaired by Jim McClelland.
The Royal Commission
into nuclear tests
was told that 30 badly-leaking drums of radio-active waste
were dumped off the West Australian coast
. The Commission was also told that acting Prime Minister Arthur Fadden
had sent a message to the British
PM asking "What the bloody hell is going on, the cloud is drifting over the mainland?". A CSIRO scientist
is making use of the thin blanket of radioactive Caesium-137
laid over Australia from atmospheric nuclear tests in the northern hemisphere
to measure soil erosion.
The McClelland Royal Commission was told that one hundred Aborigines
walked barefoot over nuclear-contaminated ground because boots they had been given didn't fit. The 1953 British nuclear test that allegedly caused 'black mist' phenomenon in South Australia
should not have been fired and the fallout
was about three times more than forecast, according to a scientist who was involved in the tests.
A house built less than 200 metres from an area mined for mineral sands 25 years ago is still contaminated from mineral-sands tailings which are dangerously radioactive. According to a special report on an investigation of residual radio-active contamination, about 100,000 dangerous metal fragments contaminated with Plutonium
still litter the Maralinga atomic test range - 25 years after the atomic tests which caused them.
A mechanical engineer has told the McClelland Royal Commission on British nuclear weapons tests in Australia, that geiger counter
readings of the fallout levels near Marble Bar were "off-the-scale".
The report's approach and conclusions apparently differed from the British Government's official history, based on official British records, by Lorna Arnold
. This report emphasised the partnership between the two nations, and noted that the approach taken towards safety was to international standards of the time and had contrasted with the historic disregard of Australian authorities toward the welfare of Indigenous people.
Some observers have noted that both reports were framed in the politics of the time: Britain wished to minimise its responsibility, while the Australian government of Bob Hawke
wished to implicate their political opponents alongside the British, and have suggested that the timeline of the enquiry was chosen so as not to implicate earlier Labor
governments.
Inquiry
An inquiry is any process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt, or solving a problem. A theory of inquiry is an account of the various types of inquiry and a treatment of the ways that each type of inquiry achieves its aim.-Deduction:...
by the Australian government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
in 1984-1985 to investigate the conduct of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in its use, with the then Australian government's permission, of Australian territory
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
and soldiers for testing nuclear weapons. It was chaired by Jim McClelland.
The Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
into nuclear tests
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them...
was told that 30 badly-leaking drums of radio-active waste
Waste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
were dumped off the West Australian coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
. The Commission was also told that acting Prime Minister Arthur Fadden
Arthur Fadden
Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG was an Australian politician and, briefly, the 13th Prime Minister of Australia.-Introduction:...
had sent a message to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
PM asking "What the bloody hell is going on, the cloud is drifting over the mainland?". A CSIRO scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
is making use of the thin blanket of radioactive Caesium-137
Caesium-137
Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of caesium which is formed as a fission product by nuclear fission.It has a half-life of about 30.17 years, and decays by beta emission to a metastable nuclear isomer of barium-137: barium-137m . Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of caesium which is formed...
laid over Australia from atmospheric nuclear tests in the northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
to measure soil erosion.
The McClelland Royal Commission was told that one hundred Aborigines
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
walked barefoot over nuclear-contaminated ground because boots they had been given didn't fit. The 1953 British nuclear test that allegedly caused 'black mist' phenomenon in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
should not have been fired and the fallout
Nuclear fallout
Fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and shock wave have passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes...
was about three times more than forecast, according to a scientist who was involved in the tests.
A house built less than 200 metres from an area mined for mineral sands 25 years ago is still contaminated from mineral-sands tailings which are dangerously radioactive. According to a special report on an investigation of residual radio-active contamination, about 100,000 dangerous metal fragments contaminated with Plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
still litter the Maralinga atomic test range - 25 years after the atomic tests which caused them.
A mechanical engineer has told the McClelland Royal Commission on British nuclear weapons tests in Australia, that geiger counter
Geiger counter
A Geiger counter, also called a Geiger–Müller counter, is a type of particle detector that measures ionizing radiation. They detect the emission of nuclear radiation: alpha particles, beta particles or gamma rays. A Geiger counter detects radiation by ionization produced in a low-pressure gas in a...
readings of the fallout levels near Marble Bar were "off-the-scale".
The report's approach and conclusions apparently differed from the British Government's official history, based on official British records, by Lorna Arnold
Lorna Arnold
Lorna Arnold is a historian who has written a number of books connected with the British nuclear weapons programmes.As the second official historian of the British nuclear weapons programmes, she has had access to previously secret documents and personally knew many of the people involved...
. This report emphasised the partnership between the two nations, and noted that the approach taken towards safety was to international standards of the time and had contrasted with the historic disregard of Australian authorities toward the welfare of Indigenous people.
Some observers have noted that both reports were framed in the politics of the time: Britain wished to minimise its responsibility, while the Australian government of Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
wished to implicate their political opponents alongside the British, and have suggested that the timeline of the enquiry was chosen so as not to implicate earlier Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
governments.
See also
- British nuclear tests at MaralingaBritish nuclear tests at MaralingaBritish nuclear tests at Maralinga occurred between 1955 and 1963 at the Maralinga site, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area, in South Australia. A total of seven major nuclear tests were performed, with approximate yields ranging from 1 to 27 kilotons of TNT equivalent...
- DownwindersDownwindersDownwinders refers to individuals and communities who are exposed to radioactive contamination or nuclear fallout from atmospheric or underground nuclear weapons testing, and nuclear accidents...
- Maralinga
- Maralinga: Australia’s Nuclear Waste Cover-upMaralinga: Australia’s Nuclear Waste Cover-upMaralinga: Australia’s Nuclear Waste Cover-up, is a book by Alan Parkinson about the clean-up of the British atomic bomb test site at Maralinga in South Australia, published in 2007...
- Montebello IslandsMontebello IslandsThe Montebello Islands, also known as the Monte Bello Islands, are an archipelago of around 174 small islands lying north of Barrow Island and off the Pilbara coast of north-western Australia. Montebello is Italian for "beautiful mountain"...
- Operation BuffaloOperation BuffaloOperation Buffalo may refer to:* The breakout from the Operation Shingle Anzio beachhead by the U.S. VI Corps commencing on 23 May 1944* Four open-air British nuclear tests at Maralinga in South Australia in late 1956...
- Operation GrappleOperation GrappleOperation Grapple, and operations Grapple X, Grapple Y and Grapple Z, were the names of British nuclear tests of the hydrogen bomb. They were held 1956—1958 at Malden Island and Christmas Island in the central Pacific Ocean. Nine nuclear detonations took place during the trials, resulting in...