Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Hansard source

I note Senator Sharma's admission that he has Labor's promise of $275 per annum off power bills on his fridge. I must say I don't share his decorative habits in terms of my fridge. I've actually got a Thai restaurant menu and also a depiction of the Deputy President on my fridge, Tintin like. You know what I'm referring to there.

There's been some discussion in relation to nuclear power in the course of this debate, and I just want to bring to the attention of this chamber the most recent observations coming out of the COP29 conference. As Senator Antic said, there are 31 nations around the world now who have signed up to triple nuclear power energy generation. Thirty-one nations are looking to triple it—not just to start it but to triple it. And a number of new nations signed up at the last COP29 conference. These include El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo and Turkiye. Are we seriously suggesting that all of these countries, including El Salvador, Kazakhstan et cetera, are going down the nuclear power path and Australia shouldn't? Is that the suggestion? I say to this chamber that I believe the greater risk is if the whole world goes down the nuclear power path and Australia doesn't. From my perspective, that is a huge risk. We see at this point in time there are 64 nuclear power reactors being built around the world in 15 different countries. If they can do it overseas, why can't we do it here, with one of the world's most bountiful sources of uranium? Why can't we do it here? We're one of the most geologically stable countries in the world. Why can't we do it in Australia, when we've got the resources and, no doubt, we could quickly develop the know-how?

These are the three additional countries which are going down the nuclear power path: Ghana, Poland, the Philippines. They can do it in Ghana, but we can't do it in Australia? They can do it in Poland, but we can't do it in Australia? They're going down the nuclear power path in our own local region, in the Philippines, and we're not going to do it in Australia? It doesn't make any sense at all. I'm proud to be a part of a coalition which is advocating going down the nuclear power path. As I say, the greater risk is that we don't go down the nuclear power path if the rest of the world does.

Question agreed to.