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

Australia has probably the most stringent safeguards in the world on the export of its uranium, developed in a very sophisticated and comprehensive fashion over many years, primarily by coalition governments, to ensure the safety and security of uranium exports from this country, which, as I said in my previous answer, go to ensuring that the 31 countries around the world who are reliant on nuclear power—including, for example, France, which I think generates some 70 per cent of its electricity from nuclear power—have the capacity to do so. We will continue to ensure those safeguards are maintained at the absolute highest standard that we are capable of delivering. I would point out to Senator Allison, as I said in my previous answer—as she professes to be extremely concerned about emissions of carbon dioxide—that the nuclear power plants that are in operation around the world, which rely on exports of uranium from our country, save the world some 2½ billion tonnes in CO emissions every year. (Time expired)