The Minerals Council of Australia is taking the cudgels for Cameco Corporation as it declared on Wednesday that the disapprovals voiced out by both the Northern Territory government and the opposition on the planned uranium mine site at the Angela Pamela deposits near Alice Springs were wholly premature.

The council hinted that in spite of the rejections from NT politicians, the uranium exploration by Cameco could still push through, arguing that "the federal government has jurisdiction in this space and we'll certainly be making representations to the government to see if anything can be done to resurrect this project."

The NT government announced yesterday that it would not support any uranium mining activities that would be undertaken near an underground water reservoir for fear of contaminating the area's water supply.

It clarified though that the pronouncement would only cover the Alice Springs area and any applications for uranium explorations elsewhere within the territory would be seriously considered by the government.

However, Minerals Council representative Mitch Hook said that outright rejections of any mine in such an early stage "make no sense at all," as he added that the council is considering all options available for the project to proceed.

Mr Hook also pointed out that while the council would work on winning approval for the uranium mine site, it is also important for Cameco "right from the outset to build the community's confidence."

Meanwhile, a resident in the area said that most of the Aboriginal people living in the area had expressed concerns on the prospect of developing Angela Pamela as a site for uranium exploration.

Christobel Swan said that residents were fearful that the introduction of the uranium mine site would lead to numerous illnesses as she stressed that "there's a lot of people who don't understand this uranium and what this uranium's going do to us."