Star Wars or Hobbiton: Where Does Australia Stand on Nuclear?
Commentary
The AUKUS submarines have already performed their first stealth mission, inserting the question of nuclear power back into the national conversation—this time as a practical possibility.
When he was defence minister, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was partly responsible for the decision to buy eight nuclear power submarines. Now in his speech-in-reply to the budget, he is suggesting nuclear as an option for powering Australia’s electricity network.
It is a smart move, not as courageous as it looks, but still brave. It gives him a way into the climate change debate without giving-in to fantasy.
While only 31 countries have nuclear reactors to generate domestic power, Australia is one of the only four that has an outright ban on them….