World Nuclear Association submission to the Victorian Parliament’s “Inquiry into nuclear prohibition”
World Nuclear Association is pleased to see that the Parliament of Victoria is considering the potential benefits to Victoria in removing prohibitions enacted by the Nuclear Activities (Prohibitions) Act 1983. In our opinion:
- The uranium and thorium mining ban is out of date and impedes Victoria, Australia and other countries from achieving their decarbonisation objectives.
- The mining ban prevents Victoria from benefiting from potentially lucrative exports and the well-paid employment opportunities associated with such mining activities.
- There is no environmental or public health justification for banning these mining activities
Victoria would in fact benefit substantially if it were to begin a nuclear energy programme and should harmonise with national laws.
On the basis of the evidence provided, World Nuclear Association would strongly support the repeal of the current ban on uranium mining and nuclear power. We believe such a repeal would provide the State of Victoria with a first-mover advantage within Australia and would create competitive advantages to Victoria in regard to electricity costs, job creation, economic activity and decarbonisation.
We expand upon these points within the full submission, although we do not address thorium since uranium is of primary importance to the nuclear industry.
28 February 2020