Fed: PM makes nuclear central election issue

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-2007
Fed: PM makes nuclear central election issue

CANBERRA, April 29 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard has made nuclear energy a central
election issue, suggesting Labor was not really serious about addressing climate change.

Mr Howard said Australia had 36 per cent of the world's low cost uranium reserves and
nuclear energy was a fact of life, supplying 15 per cent of world energy needs.

He said it was set to grow but Australia was missing out on major economic opportunities
because of excessive, overlapping and cumbersome regulation of the industry.

"Policies or political platforms that seek to constrain the development of a safe and
reliable Australian uranium industry - and which rule out the possibility of climate-friendly
nuclear energy - are not really serious about addressing climate change in a practical
way that does not strangle the Australian economy," he said.

Under the plan, the government will move forthwith to ease that regulation. It will
also develop a new regulatory regime to cover an expanded nuclear industry and any future
nuclear power plants.

The announcement appeared planned to coincide with Labor's national conference and
its divisive debate on whether to lift the longstanding ban on new uranium mines.

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd, who won his battle to dump the 25-year-old ban, said
Australia should instead be developing groundbreaking renewable energy techniques.

He said Australia needed to introduce carbon targets, a national emissions trading
scheme, mandatory renewable energy targets, boost solar power and ratify the Kyoto protocol.

"These then, are the raft of measures which any credible government of this country
would have done, enacted, implemented and been active on both nationally and internationally
were we serious about this challenge," he told the conference.

"But instead Mr Howard has gone the 25 nuclear reactor way. That's his solution for the future."

Mr Rudd likened Mr Howard's plan to the schemes of cartoon character Montgomery Burns
and his fictional Springfield nuclear power plant in The Simpsons TV series.

"It's the Montgomery Burns solution for Australia's future climate change challenge," he said.

"And if you think of the nuclear safety record out there at Smithfield (sic) with Homer
Simpson in charge, be afraid, be very afraid."

AAP mb/mn

KEYWORD: NUCLEAR DAYLEAD

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.