David Leyonhjelm (NSW, Liberal Democratic Party) Share this | Hansard source

In case anyone needs reminding, the 1980s are over. This is significant in many ways. It means you can throw away your Walkman, your Duran Duran cassettes and your VCR. Women can give their shoulder pads and leg warmers to the Salvos, and video game enthusiasts can try something other than Space Invaders.

It also means that we can discard our outdated antinuclear views. These views have always had little to do with the facts about peaceful nuclear technologies and a lot to do with the preoccupations of people who chose the wrong side of history in the Cold War. Some of these people still inhabit this chamber from time to time. They are still fighting the Cold War, rather like those Japanese soldiers found in the Philippines in 1974 who were unaware that World War II had ended.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Amendment Bill 2015 provides a rare opportunity to turn the tide against decades of antinuclear hysteria. It is a long time since anything pro nuclear passed through the parliament. If we want to we can also take the first step towards cutting Australia's carbon dioxide emissions in half. This is the kind of result we would achieve if nuclear power flourished in this country. Those who claim climate change is an emergency but nuclear power is not the answer are the real deniers of science. It is like saying there is a fire but refusing to call the fire brigade. Nuclear is the only realistic option for replacing fossil fuels for baseload power on a large scale. Hydro might be an option in other countries, but that requires big rivers and big dams. Nuclear power has also been proven to be safe. The Fukushima disaster taught us that even when outdated reactors in earthquake zones are hit by tsunamis nobody dies.

Those who say nuclear energy would take too long, is too expensive and is a technology that is on the way out are easily disproved on all counts. France built a nuclear capacity equal to Australia's needs in 20 years. It is competitive and has no accidents. France's per capita emissions are 60 per cent lower than Australia's. If it is true that nuclear power is not and never will be economically viable, the Greens have nothing to worry about. I am not arguing that taxpayers' money should be thrown at nuclear power. The best path to cheaper electricity, the return of Australia's competitive advantage in energy production and a retention of manufacturing is to stop throwing taxpayers' money at any power generation. Our 1980s thinking means we risk being left behind. We are now the only G20 country not using nuclear energy. It is true that many reactors around the world are closing, but many more are opening. Over 60 reactors are under construction right now, and China plans another 200 by 2050. There are 400 nuclear reactors in the world, and within 10 years there will be over 500.

If any country in the world should embrace nuclear power it is Australia. We have nearly half the world's reserves of uranium, a government capable of responsibly regulating the industry over the long term, a land mass with few earthquakes or other risks plus vast, remote locations in which we could safely store nuclear waste, not that modern nuclear reactors produce a lot of waste to store anyway. Small modular reactors could be built to power regional towns and mining sites with little or no risk or waste legacy. South Australia, in particular, is in a position to take a leading role in nuclear technology that could turn around the fortunes of the entire state. Instead, we have banned both the processing of uranium into nuclear fuel and nuclear power plants. It is akin to Saudi Arabia banning oil refineries and cars.

This bill is a small step in the right direction. I would like to see it take a bigger step. If you can agree that the 1980s have ended, you will support Senator Day's amendment to the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Amendment Bill 2015. This bill, even if it is amended, will not mean that people can build nuclear reactors any time soon, as there are other legal hurdles, but it will be the first step towards taking the blinkers off and demonstrating that superstition can no longer be a major plank of our energy policy.