The interim report by the parliamentary committee inquiring into nuclear energy has found nuclear energy is not economically viable for Australia.
“This report has found – like so many inquiries before it have found – that nuclear is not right for Australia,” said Australian Conservation Foundation nuclear analyst Dave Sweeney.
The additional comments from committee member and MP for Kooyong Monique Ryan hit the nail on the head:
This Inquiry followed a large number of previous state and federal inquiries into nuclear power; there have been four in the last decade alone. It should be the last. We must draw a line under nuclear in this country. We must commit to the net zero transition at speed and at scale.
“In the eight months since Peter Dutton committed the Coalition to nuclear power, key questions about this unique energy source’s risks and costs remain unanswered,” Dave Sweeney said.
“There have been plenty of headlines and talking points, but very few answers to the questions that are bubbling in the community and troubling Coalition backbenchers and candidates.
“Would Australians bear the increased cost of nuclear in our tax bills, power bills or both? Where would the water come from and the radioactive waste go to?
“What would fill the electricity shortfall between the certain closure of coal and the uncertain start of nuclear?
“These are questions the parties putting themselves up as the alternative government have an obligation to answer.
“We do know the costs of nuclear are staggering and dwarf the costs of solar – which is already on four million Australian rooftops.
“For as little as one-tenth of the cost of Mr Dutton’s nuclear plan, the federal government could install reliable, effective solar on every Australian home that does not already have it.
“Australia’s insurance sector has made it clear its policies do not cover nuclear accidents. If something atomic goes wrong, you – and your home – are on your own.
“Going nuclear would increase power bills across the country and keep polluting coal-fired power stations open for longer, adding an extra 2 billion tonnes of climate pollution to the atmosphere – the equivalent of 200 years of Australia’s emissions from aviation.
“The Coalition appears more focussed on gaining political power than securing electrical power.
“Instead of nuclear, Australia’s energy sector is investing in renewables, which already supply 40% of Australia’s electricity. Solar saves, nuclear costs.”