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

Mr President, Senator Evans is rather too impatient. I was getting to an answer. But it does require the prelude that the opposition are making much of the threat posed to this country by climate change. In complete contrast, they are determined to keep their heads in the sand on the question of nuclear power. They will not even engage in a national debate on the question of nuclear power. The Labor Party have absolutely ruled out any future for nuclear power in this country, while saying at the same time that greenhouse gas emissions are the greatest threat that we face.

The most substantial and obvious source of greenhouse gas-free power, provided at baseload capacity that the world has available to it, is nuclear power. That is why much of Europe relies upon nuclear power and that is why greenhouse gas emissions in Europe are far less than they would otherwise be if they relied on conventional power to the extent that they rely on nuclear power. France relies on nuclear power for some 70 per cent of its total baseload power. So nuclear power must be contemplated if you are serious about the issue of greenhouse gas emissions effecting climate change. But the Labor Party cannot even agree yet on uranium mining. Unbelievably, they are still arguing about uranium mining—after 20 years of debating the subject!