| Australia has one of the worlds largest supplies of | | | | The vast majority of Australian would have the |
| Uranium. It is therefore ironic that Australia has | | | | view of "not in my back yard". Whilst most |
| not taken advantage of this resource to produce | | | | wouldn't care if a power plant in the middle of the |
| power. Australia only has one nuclear reactor and | | | | desert a couple of thousand of kilometers away, |
| this is mainly for scientific use/research not the | | | | the lack of water and transmission costs for |
| production of power. This is because Australia also | | | | make this an unrealistic option. With a power plant |
| has huge cheaply access coal reserves. Australia | | | | in their back yard there is the higher risk of |
| therefore has numerous coal plants for the | | | | radiation from the transport of nuclear waste to a |
| production of power, the majority of power | | | | holding facility (likely to be somewhere in the |
| production coming from this source. Being a dry | | | | outback). Although Australian could easily have a |
| continent currently in the grip of a record drought | | | | nucealr waste facility with no threat to people due |
| the options for hydro power is limited and largely | | | | to extreme isolation and geological stablity in the |
| already exploited. | | | | outback, the problem lies in transporting the stuff |
| The problem with being so reliant on coal is the | | | | there. Road and Rail transport are both subject to |
| amount of CO2 and other gases produced that | | | | regular accidents. A heavy vehicle carrying waste |
| are contributing to global warming. Australia which | | | | could result in a mini-chernobyl with nuclear waste |
| continues to has a growing economy and | | | | entering the environment from such an accident |
| population has increasing power demands like | | | | possibly endangering a large area and having long |
| most of the world. Australia which has not sign | | | | term consequences. |
| the Kyoto agreement (rightly so as Kyoto is a | | | | Such waste from a nuclear power plant would |
| mere band aid measure and will not seriously | | | | also give Australia the potential to immediately |
| change our environmental problems). | | | | make nuclear weapons in a very short space of |
| Thus the Australian prime minister, John Howard, | | | | time. Australia is already recognised has having |
| is pushing Australians to consider the nuclear | | | | the technological know how to produce the |
| option to meet future power needs as nuclear | | | | require missle and warhead technology. Such an |
| power plants don't emit CO2 or other greenhouse | | | | outcome would be very worrying for our |
| gases. However there are a number of problems | | | | neighbours and lessen our argument against |
| with this option. | | | | nations such as North Korea having nuclear |
| Firstly nuclear power is more expensive power. | | | | weapons. |
| Australians already complain about the size of | | | | Likewise such nuclear power plants would be a |
| their power bills (an average family in Brisbane | | | | magnet for terrorists and the like. |
| spends about $500-$800 a quarter or over $2000 | | | | The final nail in the coffin for the prime ministers |
| a year). This is particularly felt most by those | | | | idea is that the states have made it clear they |
| who rely on air conditioning to counter Australia's | | | | have no interest in nuclear power. Such a battle |
| hot climate. They are not willing to accept more | | | | over energy would be over the very survival of |
| expensive options. | | | | states and their rights. If the states lost such a |
| Secondly although there are thousands of nuclear | | | | battle the point of having individual state |
| power plants operating without incident and | | | | parliments would be mute, they would be useless |
| although it happened on the other side of the | | | | overhangs from federation with the Federal |
| world Australians are well aware of the Chernobyl | | | | government in fact taking over all government in |
| disaster and the shocking consequences that | | | | Australia should such an eventually occur. Some |
| continue to be felt. Australia although a large | | | | would argue this process of the destruction of |
| continent is essentially like a giant island with a belt | | | | the state government is already well underway, |
| of green extending only a few hundred kilometers | | | | with the federal government grabbing ever more |
| inland from the sea with the rest being in a vast | | | | power, but further on this is for another article. |
| desert or near desert condition for much of the | | | | Whilst nuclear power presents a vison of |
| time. Australia couldn't afford to have any section | | | | greenhouse gase free energy production it doesn't |
| of this 'green' band destroyed or a no go zone, | | | | present a realistic future for Australia. Australia |
| such a result would have a greater impact in | | | | has other options to explore, both wind and solar, |
| event of a disaster than in other 'normal' | | | | possibly geothermal and even the real future for |
| countries. It has already been made clear for | | | | a cleaner world - H2 - Hydrogen power. Perhaps |
| nuclear power to be a option is must be near a | | | | putting research and money into this field will |
| water source and near to power users to cut | | | | produce better and more politically acceptable |
| down on transmission costs. | | | | results. |