The Conservation Council of WA has responded to the release today of the interim Inquiry report from the House of Representatives Select Committee on Nuclear Energy.
It comes after polling presented to the Inquiry hearing in Perth in December found that Western Australians firmly reject the federal Coalition’s plan for nuclear reactors, with 74% of WA voters preferring renewable energy like solar and wind, while only 15% support small nuclear reactors and 11% of those polled preferred coal.
CCWA represents almost 100 member groups who put forward a unanimous position to the inquiry that nuclear power is too risky, too slow to meet our energy needs, threatens local water supply, and would fuel a nuclear cycle that begins with toxic uranium mining and ends with high-level long-lived radioactive waste.
Collie and surrounding South West communities would face the ongoing threat of a nuclear accident, and radioactive waste for thousands of years, while as WA's droughts worsen the Liberals have seemingly given no thought to the enormous amount of water that farmers and communities would lose to cool nuclear reactors.
Mia Pepper, the Campaigns Director at the Conservation Council of WA who gave evidence at the inquiry hearing in Perth in December, said:
“The interim report clearly shows that nuclear power has no future in Australia.
“The inquiry has highlighted how much is missing from Peter Dutton’s nuclear push - there’s no plan from the Liberals on what this means for taxpayers, for WA jobs, for the existing transition plans, for insurance, there are no details about exclusion zones and evacuation zones, the costings are fanciful and there’s been no evaluation of the technical suitability of coal sites.”
“Dutton has spent the last eight months calling for an adult conversation but has provided sound bites instead of real plans or evidence.
“Meanwhile, he’s been sneaking around the country dodging communities who have been blindsided by the Liberal party’s u-turn on nuclear power.
“Dutton’s Liberals have not had the courtesy or the conviction to come and talk to the energy companies or the communities in WA about their nuclear push.
“In December, polling found that three quarters of West Australians prefer renewable energy to power our homes and business, with only 15% of WA voters wanting nuclear reactors.
“In a cost-of-living crisis Dutton’s nuclear plan is the worst possible outcome – it will drive up power prices, lock in fossil fuels for longer, and slow investment in renewables which are faster, cheaper and cleaner.
“Dutton’s move to impose nuclear on WA is another thought bubble from Canberra that has blindsided the community and threatens to undermine a decade of transition planning in Collie. West Australians have long opposed the nuclear industry, we have fought off uranium mines, war ships and plans for international nuclear waste dumps and will stand up to nonsense nuclear policies from the East Coast.
“The Collie community and industry have worked in good faith for over a decade on a transition out of coal, and imposing nuclear on this community is disrespectful and shows how out of touch Peter Dutton is with Western Australia.”
ENDS