Senate debates
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Motions
Nuclear Energy
3:49 pm
Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source
Before we commit this to a vote, with greatest respect to Senator Day, it is presently illegal to build nuclear power stations in Australia, and it is presently illegal to import high-level radioactive waste, or spent fuel, or reprocessing wastes from overseas. I respectfully suggest that Senator Moore might like to have a quiet word with some of her South Australian colleagues, who appear to have wandered off the reservation. The Greens will be opposing this motion for the very fact that the nuclear industry is basically a dead industry walking. Wherever you look in the world, the industry is going out the back door fast. I do not see why we would tie the South Australian economy, or any other part of the Australian economy, to the most expensive, risky, time-consuming, polluting, downright dodgy, electricity generation method. The most insane way of boiling water that has ever been devised—
Senator McKenzie interjecting—
Senator McKenzie, that would be misleading the Senate. It is very important, and I agree with Senator Moore— (Time expired)
Comments
Mark C-F
Posted on 20 Mar 2015 5:02 pm
Mark Duffett: "Internationally, the tide is running against the nuclear sector with reactor numbers declining and market share shrinking. [...] China remains the only significant exception to the trend in the pro-nuclear firmament, but is also planning for growth in renewables and action to address the global need to retire much of the aging reactor fleet in the coming decades"
https://newmatilda.com/2015/02/14/south-australia-out-step-g...
Luke Walker
Posted on 22 Mar 2015 12:38 am
I think the larger point has been overlooked here, in that if it's currently illegal to process spent fuel rods in Australia, then SA Govt. launching a royal commission seems like a poor choice of expenditure
Helen Dawson
Posted on 26 Mar 2015 11:55 am
Worse than a poor excuse to boil water, any nuclear industry encouragement will open the way for using past test sites like Maralinga as nuclear dumps for the world's nuclear waste.
Nuclear waste travels around on traintracks at the back of passender trains in Europe, on trains and trucks on the road in the USA.
The total meltdown at Fukushima is proof there there is nothing but madness, endless expense and desolation of the planet in nuclear 'energy' which is really a front for making nuclear weapons and DU bullets, armaments. Basically trashing the planet for the next few million years...
Not rocket science, don't need a Royal Commission for that.
Mark Duffett
Posted on 19 Mar 2015 11:37 am
"the industry is going out the back door fast"?! China is building dozens of reactors. 266 are slated for construction globally by 2030. It is Ludlam who is misleading the Senate. The industry he decries is the largest producer of low-emissions electricity in the world. Ludlam is an enemy of the climate.