Australia must remain a nuclear-free country.
Nuclear energy and arms are not compatible with a clean future.
The Coalition's nuclear energy plan is light on detail but heavy with danger. It's a costly distraction from effective climate action that risks delaying – and even derailing – the sensible, considered and speedy transition to renewables that is already well underway and essential to protect the environment and safeguard our future.
To our representatives, we call on you to make Australia nuclear-free:
- End uranium mining and exports, and clean up all old uranium mines;
- Say no to nuclear power – it is high-risk, high-cost and a dangerous distraction from real climate solutions, like clean energy from the sun and wind;
- Take a strong stand against nuclear weapons – this includes signing and ratifying the UN nuclear weapons ban treaty;
- Manage radioactive waste transparently and responsibly.
The exaggerated claims being made by the latest round of nuclear promoters do not alter the evidence which clearly shows nuclear is the worst option for Australia. Promoting nuclear today will keep coal and gas burning for decades to come!
There are many reasons nuclear energy is not a viable alternative for Australia’s energy future:
-
It takes too long – on average, it takes about nine years to build a nuclear power station and another 10 years for planning and licensing. Effectively that means two decades between first idea and first power. These are the critical decades to immediately reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
-
It’s dirty and dangerous – Nuclear power stations pose significant community, environment and health risks. Apart from the radioactive waste they generate, nuclear power stations run on uranium which, like coal and gas, is not a renewable resource.
-
It’s far more expensive than renewable options – Modelling shows developing nuclear infrastructure is 5-10 times more expensive than solar and wind. And even if the technology was in place, it would also cost more to produce.
-
It needs a lot of water – Nuclear reactors use tonnes of water per second to cool the reactors to produce electricity. This is unlike wind and solar which require little or no ongoing water use.
-
We have no proven options for managing long-term radioactive waste – All reactors create waste, and this is a growing and unresolved global management issue. For decades successive governments have tried to impose low and intermediate level waste dumps and stores, predominantly on First Nations lands, across multiple sites in Australia.
We must leave the uranium in the ground to keep our communities and the nature we rely on safe.
Let's get it right and make Australia nuclear-free.
Header image: Sea lions gather on the beach on the Eyre Peninsula. At the top of the Peninsula is Kimba, where the government is proposing to put a national radioactive waste site despite unanimous opposition from Barngarla Traditional Owners
Latest Supporters
Australia must always be a place of hope. There is nothing hopeful about nuclear waste.
Australia should be nuclear free as it was supposed to be when agreed years ago.This should be voted on by the public,nobody wants a chernoble in there backyard,its bad enough with the coal mines emissions and soot that covers peoples roofs and gets in houses,never would have moved here if id knownno wonder so much cancer in latrobe
It is leaving a legacy for future generations of nuclear waste.
alternative energy sources that are safe and non-polluting are all ready available and in use around the world.
Australia doesn’t need to consider nuclear because we have the renewable energy sources required to power the country – unlike other countries. Nuclear is expensive and comes with a waste management issue that no future generation will thank us for passing down to them.
I want Australia to be free of nuclear energy. Anything nuclear carries risks to human life, and that risk is too great
Butt out of the energy market, you are incompetent lawyers, not engineers. Stop getting in the way of our transition to a fossil fuel free energy system. It is transparent that you are seeking to prop up the peaking gas consumption by throwing uncertainty and delay into investments. We do NOT need another inflexible base load supply,
It’s irresponsible to pass on this legacy of problems to future generations
I want Australia to be nuclear free because it’s unsafe, impractical and too expensive. An absurd idea when we have so many natural resources to develop.
Listen to Andrew (Tiggy )Forrester , he talks sense
No nukes in Australia or anywhere in the world. It’s expensive, dangerous and the waste will be around forever. We have cheap and easily available alternatives.
I want Australua to be nuclear free because it is harmful to our lives.
Why add more Poison two our lands with nuclear power station when we have an abundance of natural power using the sun and the wind.
There are to many health risks and I feel it’s unsafe for everyone
It is irresponsible to leave future generations with a toxic nuclear legacy to deal with that threatens Mother Nature’s ability to sustain healthy ecosystems. We do not need to take the extreme risk of creating nuclear power plants and generating waste that at some point, will enter ecosystems. There is no “safe” way of doing this.
It is way too dangerous for way too long (ie hundreds of thousands of years), and also takes too long (decades) until we get the benefits anyway. we do not have the time anymore to save our climate and revert what we have done to it, renewables are the way to go!
It’s expensive, inefficient and dangerous. We have tech that is more suitable. Dutton will lose votes over this
Nuclear! Your kidding! And here we go again! From an anti-nuclear marcher! Press on with clean power resourcing, think of the nuclear legacy for future generations. NO to NUCLEAR!!