No place for nuclear facilities in Queensland

Nuclear facilities including power stations and radioactive waste dumps will be banned in Queensland under legislation passed in State Parliament.

Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson said the Nuclear Facilities Prohibition Bill 2006 would ban nuclear facilities in order to protect the health, safety and well-being of every Queenslander.

“Under the new law, a plebiscite would have to be held if the Federal Government seeks to ride roughshod over state laws and builds a nuclear facility in Queensland,” Mr Wilson said.

“We won’t let the feds foist nuclear power plants or toxic waste dumps on our state without the wishes of the people who live and work here made known,” Mr Wilson said.

Facilities banned under the legislation include nuclear reactors (whether used to generate electricity or not), uranium conversion and enrichment plants, nuclear fuel fabrication plants, spent fuel processing plants and facilities used to store or dispose of material associated with the nuclear fuel cycle, for example, radioactive waste material.

Exemptions under the legislation include facilities for the storage or disposal of radioactive waste material resulting from research or medical purposes, and the operation of a nuclear-powered vessel.

Mr Wilson said circumstances that motivated other countries to pursue nuclear power did not apply in Queensland, or Australia.

“Generally, a lack of domestic energy resources and the high cost of importing fuel have pushed countries down the nuclear path, but here in Queensland we have access to abundant, long-term supplies of coal and gas resources.

“Why go down a nuclear path when we don’t need to?

“We’re confident that clean coal technology will provide a similar level of greenhouse abatement to that of nuclear generation, and in a shorter timeframe.

Mr Wilson said nuclear facilities were already banned under the Federal Government’s own Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

“The Howard government passed this legislation in 1999. It bans the “construction or operation” of a nuclear fuel fabrication plant, a nuclear power plant, an enrichment plant or a reprocessing facility,” he said.

“Our legislation brings Queensland into line with other Australian states. New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia all have nuclear prohibition legislation.

“The risks of nuclear generation are too great and far outweigh any potential advantages,” Mr Wilson said.

Media Inquiries: Ellen McIntyre 3225 1819