Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

Will there be a nuclear reactor on the New South Wales Central Coast? Will it be in Robertson or in Dobell? Will the nuclear reactor be in Western Sydney? Where will it be in Western Sydney—in Penrith or Campbelltown? Where will it be on the North Coast of New South Wales? Where will it be in Queensland—in Brisbane, in North Queensland, in Far North Queensland? Will it be in Melbourne, in Launceston, in Hobart, in Perth, in Adelaide, in Darwin? Where will the nuclear reactors be and where will the waste be stored? That is part of the debate. People such as the defence minister and the Treasurer have said that it is not an issue. Well, once you light a match, you have to take some responsibility for the fire that results. If we are going to have a nuclear debate in this country, bring it on. Bring on a nuclear debate and we will have a debate about where nuclear reactors will be sited and where the waste should be sited, because that is the product that occurs from a domestic nuclear industry.

Until the Prime Minister says where he will site the reactors, he is actually not serious about a debate; he is ducking the debate. I am sure that, if nuclear reactors are so safe and so economical and will contribute positively to Australia, there will be members of the coalition party room putting their hands up saying, ‘Please can I have a nuclear reactor in my electorate.’ I look forward to the member for Paterson and other members putting their hands up and saying, ‘Yes, please, I will have a nuclear reactor,’ having a debate with the Australian people in the form of a federal election campaign and seeing how they go.

See this speech in context