Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Chris Bowen will be attending COP28 in Dubai, not as a king of energy innovation but as a court jester amongst countries with sensible and pragmatic approaches to energy production involving emissions-free nuclear energy. The World Nuclear Association estimates that uranium demand for nuclear energy in the year 2040 will double what it is today. About 60 reactors are under construction worldwide, and a further 110 are being planned.

On Saturday at COP28, more than 22 countries, including the US, Britain and France, pledged to triple nuclear capacity by 2050. French President Emmanuel Macron and America's climate change envoy, John Kerry, both say nuclear must be a part of any country's ambitions for nett zero. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau says:

We're going to need a lot more energy… We're going to have to be doing much more nuclear.

And Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson says:

Sweden is going to build new nuclear power plants to produce more clean electricity and speed up the green transition.

Finnish PM Petteri Orpo says they want nuclear power to become the cornerstone of the government's energy policy. Yet the energy minister for Sydney panders to Greens in his electorate by scoffing at nuclear energy and ridiculing its supporters.

If Minister Bowen thinks no-one will build nuclear in Australia because of cost, then why is he clinging to the ban so desperately? Even the current Australian Workers' Union National Secretary, Paul Farrow, has made clear that nuclear power is necessary and slammed Labor's position, saying:

If nuclear power doesn't stack up on cost today, that's one thing. But objecting because of outdated twentieth century ideology is another.

Australians deserve a far more mature government than what is currently being offered. Labor has left us standing isolated on the world stage while other developed countries pursue a tripling of nuclear— (Time expired)