Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My apologies. But I do fear that the facts on nuclear energy generation are somewhat lost on my colleagues across the room. I know a number of you have cast aspersions on the CSIRO in the past. So, rather than just keep quoting them, I will add a bit more detail from other sources that you may prefer, particularly the nuclear energy industry. Yes, that's right: the nuclear energy industry admits that cost is a prohibitive factor compared to renewable energy. The World nuclearindustry status report 2020not the CSIRO, if you're paying attention, but the World nuclear industry status report, stated:

The costs of renewables continue to fall due to incremental manufacturing and installation improvements while nuclear, despite over half a century of industrial experience, continues to see costs rising.

That same report goes on to say that the levelised cost of energy analysis by the US bank Lazard shows that between 2009 and 2021 utility-scale solar costs came down by 90 per cent, wind costs came down by 72 per cent and new nuclear costs increased by 36 per cent. So, sure: I get it that maybe you don't like some scientists, you don't like some organisations, because you think they believe in climate change or various other things that you can't get behind. But this is the industry itself. This is the report on the industry itself, telling you exactly what the costs look like. So, you enjoy that at your peril and ignore it at the country's, I believe.

We have now seen a decade of denial and delay as far as our energy sector is concerned. And now the transition to renewable energy is going to have to boost. We know this. The level of investment has been low, but it is growing. Since we legislated the 43 per cent target, investment has increased, and it will continue to increase, for renewable energy— (Time expired)