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The House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy held its first public hearing today on the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia.
Following a referral from the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, the Hon Angus Taylor MP, the Committee resolved on 6 August 2019 to conduct an inquiry.
Chair of the Committee, Mr Ted O’Brien MP, said that a fresh look at nuclear energy is timely, given that new technologies in the field are leading to cleaner, safer and more efficient energy production.
“This inquiry needs to answer three basic questions about nuclear energy,” Mr O’Brien said. “Is nuclear energy feasible, suitable and palatable?”
He said, to be feasible, it would have to stack up on economic, technological and capability grounds; to be suitable, it would have to make sense on environmental, safety and security grounds; and to be palatable, there would have to be an appetite among the Australian people.
“Nuclear energy has evolved since it was last seriously considered in Australia,” Mr O’Brien said.
The Committee will consider a range of matters including waste management, health and safety, environmental impacts, energy affordability and reliability, economic feasibility and workforce capability, security implications, community engagement and national consensus.
“It’s time to hear from the experts,” Mr O’Brien said.