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

I thank Senator Carr for that question—which, of course, I never anticipated! One thing that we agree on on this side of the chamber is that Australia must have a sensible and mature debate about whether or not nuclear power should play a part in our energy future. The ALP, in contrast, has absolutely ruled out any future at all for nuclear power in this country. It is typical of the Labor Party: stick your head in the sand, ignore the issue, rabbit on about climate change and how the government is not dealing with climate change but, ‘Oh, let’s not talk about nuclear power.’ I am the only one in the history of this country who has been responsible for every part of the nuclear fuel cycle, so I do think I have some knowledge of this issue.

One of the interesting things about this debate and about nuclear issues in this country is that Simon Crean, the then minister, initiated the process of looking for a low-level radioactive waste site in 1992. Fourteen years later we still have to find a site because the intransigence of many on the left of Australian politics has made it impossible even to find a site for low-level radioactive waste.