Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Urban Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Minchin, the Minister representing the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources. Is the minister aware of the comments by the industry minister, Ian Macfarlane, at the Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference yesterday:

It is certainly possible that within the next 10 years a nuclear power station could begin to be planned.

I ask how the minister reconciles this claim with his position of 21 May:

I cannot see how nuclear power could possibly be viable in this country for at least 100 years.

Can the minister now explain what, if any, changes have occurred to the viability of nuclear power in Australia between May, when he said it would not be viable for 100 years, and yesterday, when Minister Macfarlane claimed that nuclear power station may only be a decade away. What exactly is the government’s formal position on the viability of nuclear power in Australia?

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to 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.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Conroy!

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

In the light of that, and my personal experience of dealing with those opposite and those down that end—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senators on my left will come to order!

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

In the light of the difficulty that this nation has had in coming to any agreement on the site for a low-level radioactive waste repository for the products of the research reactor at Lucas Heights, I suspect that my good friend Mr Macfarlane is being somewhat optimistic. I envy him his optimism but I suspect, given my experience on this question and the history of this country, that it could take a little longer before such a nuclear power station could be contemplated.

The important thing is that we have a sensible, mature debate about whether nuclear power should play a part in our energy future. If you are worried about human induced greenhouse gas emissions causing the globe to warm, then you must contemplate, if you are real and serious, the possibility that nuclear power has a part to play in Australia’s future.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

I am asked: what is your policy. Our policy is to make sure that we properly investigate the role that nuclear power may have in this country. That is why we established the task force headed by Ziggy Switkowski—to investigate that very question. The government does not have a policy to have nuclear power; the government has a policy, clearly enunciated, to properly investigate that issue under the expertise of Ziggy Switkowski and to report back to the government on the feasibility or otherwise of nuclear power. And, of course, if there is to be nuclear power in this country, the economic case must be made. At this stage it would be difficult to make the economic case—because this country has a significant advantage in low-cost coal and gas, which supply the mainstay of our base load power.

Nuclear power would have to become significantly cheaper than it is at the moment for it to compete with either coal or gas. However, the economics of these things may change. What Mr Macfarlane was pointing to was the possibility that the economics of nuclear power may well change in the decades ahead. If the government comes to the conclusion, and there is a consensus, that nuclear power has a role to play in power generation in this country it may well be that in 10 years a nuclear power station may commence. I happen to think at this stage that is probably optimistic.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Urban Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Is it the case that the minister at the table here, or the minister he is representing, is expressing a personal opinion or a formal position of the government? Given it would appear that Mr Macfarlane has moved to a further stage in suggesting it is the intention of the government to develop nuclear energy, can the minister indicate to the public where the nuclear reactors will be built and where the nuclear waste, whether it be high level or intermediate level, will be stored?

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

Unlike the Labor Party, which as I said has stuck its head right in the sand on this issue, we are prepared to have a national debate. That is what we are doing. Our policy is to examine the feasibility of nuclear power in this country. That is what we are doing; no more, no less. But at least we are having the debate—unlike the Labor Party, which has ignored this issue entirely.