Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion put by the member for Lyne. I am advocating for us as a country to investigate how we utilise the nuclear expertise, technologies and scientists already in our country, to investigate whether nuclear energy has a viable role to play in our country to assist as we transition to a decarbonised economy. I note that many in the government have extolled the virtues of renewable energy technologies, but these are not mutually exclusive with nuclear. I also support renewables. Why is it, though, that we cannot look at both options?

The electorate of Hughes punches well above its weight in many areas. I am particularly proud that Hughes is the home of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, known as ANSTO, located in Lucas Heights. It has rightly been said in this motion that Australia has been at the forefront of nuclear science and technology since 1953, when the reactors were first established. ANSTO operates much of Australia's landmark infrastructure for nuclear science, research, innovation and technology. It contains the Open Pool Australian Light-water reactor—or OPAL—that's designed to produce the neutrons used in research and to promote radioisotopes. It is the only nuclear research reactor in Australia, and also one of the world's most modern. The ANSTO staff have showcased the facility to me on a number of occasions.

ANSTO has as its mission statement to deliver knowledge, value and trust through the application of nuclear science, technology and engineering. It has three main priority areas: health, environment and nuclear technologies. In terms of health, its most important research areas are in human health and the biosciences. Human health researchers have expertise in the design and optimisation of treatment tools and methods using nuclear technologies; the modelling of complex radiation physics; and the use of nuclear techniques to understand the neurophysiology of the brain. The biosciences group at ANSTO is focused on the development and translation of radiopharmaceuticals to improve the detection and diagnosis of disease. ANSTO has the expertise and capability to supply radioisotopes and undertake radiochemistry, radiation biology and pre-clinical imaging studies. This work has been particularly invaluable for Australia's cancer patients.

Within its environmental priorities, ANSTO conducts and enables interdisciplinary research, using nuclear and isotopic techniques to address some of Australia's and, indeed, the world's, most challenging environmental problems. It has a primary focus on water resource sustainability, an issue which is integral to Australia. Using their capabilities in isotopic-tracing analysis, ANSTO scientists provide water resource managers with information on water quality and sustainability of groundwater resources and aquatic ecosystems.

Nuclear technologies are also fundamental to ANSTO's work. Their research has addressed key scientific questions related both to the current generation of nuclear reactors and also to future systems. In particular, ANSTO researchers are investigating the key properties of nuclear waste, to improve safety for both short- and long-term storage. ANSTO's Education Team offers a wide variety of learning resources that align with the New South Wales curriculum, as well as providing education in science, nuclear technology and sustainability.

In my first speech in this place, I said that with the significant environment and climate change issues that we face in Australia, combined with the energy crisis, I'm committed to approaching how we can utilise the nuclear technology and innovation at ANSTO to answer our energy questions. My 15-year-old self, who had posters of Midnight Oil throughout her bedroom, would shudder at this speech; however, the nuclear energy of 2023 is very different to that of the past, and I saw this most recently at COP27 in Egypt. As Australia transitions to a decarbonised electricity grid, it makes no sense to cling to old attitudes about nuclear energy and to stubbornly refuse even to investigate the possibility of nuclear energy in all of these circumstances. I commend this motion to the House.

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