Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

nuclear energy is not economically viable in Australia,

(ii)

nuclear energy is not a climate change solution for Australia, and

(iii)

the delay in establishing nuclear power would only exacerbate the 11 years of inaction under the Howard Government; and

(b)

calls on the Government to publish the details of any plans, including possible locations, for nuclear reactors and high level nuclear waste dumps in Australia.

This motion, as senators are aware, relates to nuclear power. It talks about the fact that nuclear energy is not economically viable in Australia and that it is not a climate change solution for Australia. I want to focus firstly on the economic viability of nuclear power. What we have seen is a government, one that has failed to undertake the action required on climate change in years past, trying to divert attention from its lack of action by creating and running a debate about nuclear power. But they know nuclear power is unviable. Let us leave aside the significant environmental issues associated with nuclear power and let us leave aside the community concern and the opposition within the Australian community to nuclear power. The reality is it is not economically viable. Do you know who supports us in that view? Do you know who has actually said publicly on the record that nuclear power would cost at least 50 per cent more than current forms of power generation? That is Senator Minchin. Senator Minchin, on Lateline earlier this month, made it clear that his view is that nuclear power would be substantially more expensive, at least 50 per cent more expensive than existing forms of power generation.

So the government know that nuclear power is not an economically viable option. Nevertheless, they are keen to press ahead with it, it appears. We have seen the extraordinary spectacle over the last few days in this parliament of, on the one hand, Senator Minchin refusing to rule out in this chamber supporting a nuclear power facility in the state of South Australia—