Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to be briefed by a group of the nation’s top scientists on nuclear energy research and science. The team at the Australian National University’s Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering spelt out very clearly their perspective on nuclear power. While I accept that nuclear power and coal are not the only options for our country for delivering baseload power supplies, I was keen to get information on nuclear power straight from the horse’s mouth. Importantly, the briefing emphasised that it is presently illegal to build a nuclear power plant in Australia, and regulation and legislative issues are still to be addressed.

Professor George Dracoulis, the head of the Department of Nuclear Physics at the ANU and member of the Prime Minister’s task force on nuclear power, was very clear in answering my question about the argument of anti-nuclear power critics that nuclear is ‘too slow, too dirty and too dangerous’. With respect to ‘too slow’, Professor Dracoulis said that a modern nuclear reactor could be built in four to five years. As for ‘too dirty’, Professor Dracoulis said that coal-fired power plants are far dirtier than nuclear power plants would ever be. He also addressed the important question of safety. The nuclear power industry operates at probably the highest levels of safety of any industry in the world. It is extremely closely watched. He said that the training of operators around the world now is of a uniformly high standard and the industry itself has a great commitment to safety within the industry and they are watching each other. I do not think you could say it is a dangerous industry. If you wanted to look at the risks of dying, you would have to look at smoking, driving, ingesting ash from coal-fired power stations, shark attacks or anything else, because those are the things that are going to kill you long before nuclear power does.

The briefing underlined my belief that nuclear power is the way of the future in terms of delivering baseload power demands and cutting greenhouse emissions. Those who would blindly dismiss the nuclear option without any consideration are ignorant in the extreme—and I include the Greens and the Labor Party, because they are simply scaremongering people in my electorate about a power plant, and they are not really very serious about climate change. I want to reiterate my objection to a nuclear power plant being built at Jervis Bay or Sussex Inlet or anywhere in the Gilmore electorate at this stage. It simply would not be a suitable location, and it would not be a suitable location for any industrial development because it is one of the nation’s most beautiful regions. I would be equally opposed to seeing a coal-fired power station established there. We boast some of the nation’s most sought-after tourist locations, and a power plant of any shape or form does not say ‘tourism’ to me. In conclusion, I would like to thank Dr Ken Baldwin, Dr Matthew Hole, Dr Boyd Blackwell and Professor Dracoulis for the opportunity to tour the ANU’s research facility. It was a rare opportunity and one that provided me with a lot of information.

Ian Causley (Page, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members’ statements has concluded.