Australia must remain a nuclear-free country.
Nuclear energy and arms are not compatible with a clean future.
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 elected 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.
There are many reasons nuclear energy is not a viable alternative for Australia’s energy future:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
We must stop treating our planet as though ‘it bis longs to someone else’!
I am for a Nuclear Free Australia for our next generation to have a clean environment
Nuclear power proponents should not only own the responsibility for power plant construction and operation, but also have the total ownership for end-of-life plant removal and disposal and then the very long term responsibility for their safe nuclear waste storage. If a proposing operator had that full lifetime economic ownership requirement placed on them then any debate about whether nuclear power made sense at all most likely would now be well in the past.
South Australia has already had an extensive community investigation on nuclear waste disposal and the answer was conclusively a big NO. There is no justification for the use of this outmoded, expensive and dangerous material anywhere is Australia, and many of us are sick to death of conservative politicians seeking to enrich their big business friends to the detriment of our wonderful country, our Indigenous community and those of us who are better informed of the consequences than our elected representatives. Government no longer has our trust over this issue and Federal government no longer has our trust over any issue because of their blatant corruption and misuse of public money for their own benefit.
We need a sustainable, clean energy source without toxic waste – nuclear just cannot offer that.
No need for nuclear – go renewable and green, plus invest in energy storage R&D, and save the planet instead.
I find it difficult to believe we STILL have to fight against this stupidity. Remember the accidents in Chernoble and Japan etc and prevent more by leaving uranium in the ground.
I am totally against the idea of nuclear energy and importing nuclear waste from other countries. Nuclear Power is high cost and the waste remains for millions of years. Other countries are now realising the error of nuclear energy and the cost and are turning to renewable energies in a big way. This is where Australia should be heading and not cowtowing to the big mining corporations.
The future is Renewables, Not Nuclear
The possibilities inherent in renewable energy sources preclude the need for the further use and development of energy sources that produce toxic wastes which endanger our environment and human health.