Nelson unveils his nuclear ambitions

NELSON UNVEILS HIS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS

Joint Media Release:

Anthony Albanese MP, Shadow Minister for the Environment and Heritage, and

Jenny Macklin MP, Deputy Federal Labor Leader

19 April 2005

Federal Science Minister Brendan Nelson’s call for Australia to start using nuclear energy leaves out one of the key issues – nuclear waste.

Before Dr Nelson even starts to think about generating power from nuclear energy, the Science Minister needs to answer the question of what Australia will do with the radioactive waste we currently generate.

It is absurd for the Science Minister to describe nuclear energy as ‘environmentally friendly’ without mentioning the issue of safe storage and disposal of the waste produced by this process.

Brendan Nelson also conveniently ignores the issue of nuclear non-proliferation which is more acute than ever in the current international climate.

Federal Labor does not support the generation of nuclear energy for environmental reasons, such as the requirement to safely transport and store the waste.

Yet again Brendan Nelson has produced a ‘thought bubble’ which is more about his ambition for the deputy leadership of the Liberal Party than sustainable energy production for Australia.