Nuclear should be an option

Senator Matthew Canavan, Senator Hollie Hughes, and Senator Ross Cadell have said that the evidence presented into the inquiry of the Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Removing Nuclear Energy Prohibitions) Bill 2022 has shown that it’s time we remove the ban on nuclear.

The bill proposes to remove Australia’s long-running ban on nuclear power to enable Australia to have all the options for the future of energy generation available to it into the future.

The dissenting report from Coalition Senators found that the ban on nuclear energy should be removed and that not doing so would have national security implications, and that any perceived costs should not be justification for continuing the ban.

"The clear evidence is that Australia's ban on nuclear energy is out of step and out of date. As we shut down coal fired power stations for no good reason, the nuclear ban risks our energy security. And now that we are purchasing nuclear submarines, continuing with our ban risks Australia's national security too." Senator Canavan said.

"The evidence from around the world shows that nuclear energy is the lowest cost form of low carbon electricity. Australian families are paying too much for electricity. To get power bills down we need nuclear energy."

The inquiry into the bill ran for over 9 months and held one hearing to collect evidence to whether the ban on nuclear energy was still justified.

‘It is time to stop this nonsense for the sake of a sustainable energy future in this country.” Senator Hughes said.

“We can have our cake and eat it.

“Lower emissions and lower household energy costs are achievable in this country with nuclear energy. There are no reasonable arguments for why a moratorium on nuclear should exist in this country. If there’s a moral dilemma, we should stop the hypocrisy and halt all exports of uranium to our foreign trading partners.

“If it’s a cost conundrum; this, in of itself, is not a case for a moratorium or we’d never have had the renewable market we have today.

“The private sector decides these things, not government.’

The inquiry heard evidence that nuclear is not only one of the safest forms of power generation in the world but also that it’s one of the most cost competitive based on real world data.

The inquiry heard from a variety of groups, including nuclear organisations, unions, environmental groups, community groups, and individuals.

Senator Cadell said that given the extensive evidence and discussions we've engaged in during this inquiry, it's evident that Australia needs to reevaluate its stance on nuclear energy.

“Major economies worldwide are leveraging the undeniable benefits of nuclear power, and it's high time we position ourselves for a more secure and affordable energy future.

“We must make decisions based on the facts before us, and those facts make it abundantly clear that nuclear energy should be a vital part of Australia's energy mix,” Senator Cadell finished.

Senator Canavan’s Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Removing Nuclear Energy Prohibitions) Bill 2022 was sent to an inquiry in October 2022 and the final report was released today and is available here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Nuclearprohibitions/Report