Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

As usual, there were a lot of questions there, but I will faithfully attempt to answer all those questions. My experience with the nuclear fuel cycle is not one I boast of but simply a function of having been the Minister for Industry, Science and Resources—the only time those portfolios have all been together—which meant that I did have responsibility for the research reactor at Lucas Heights, I had responsibility for uranium mining and I also had responsibility for waste disposal. Despite the trenchant opposition of the Labor Party to acquiring a repository for low-level waste, we are gradually approaching the position that Simon Crean first sought in 1992, in that we will have a national low-level repository for our low-level waste. So I think I can say I have some experience with this matter.

The great difference between our two parties is that we are prepared to debate the question of whether nuclear power should form part of Australia’s energy future. The extraordinary thing about the Labor Party is that they are engaging in the most amazing amount of scaremongering on the question of climate change—‘The end is nigh,’ says Mr Beazley, ‘but don’t worry, elect a Beazley Labor government and we’ll fix it.’ If there is one sentence that has been enunciated this year that has been subjected to parody, that is it—and quite properly. That statement by Mr Beazley has been subjected to quite an appropriate parody throughout the media, because it is utterly nonsensical and idiotic of Mr Beazley to suggest, to the extent that he believes that climate change means ‘the end of the world is nigh,’ that he can fix it.