Pro-nuclear bombardment

New shelter built to withstand fallout from pro-nuclear bombardment

I’m sure you’re all aware that the nuclear industry and its supporters have been bombarding the Australian media over the past few weeks. Locally, for example, the Newcastle Herald, has recently published two op-ed pieces from our local pro-nuclear campaigner, Colin Keay.

All this is a deliberate softening up process for the release of the report of John Howard’s “Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review”, expected on Tuesday.

The composition of Howard’s review group and its terms of reference make a pro-nuclear finding a foregone conclusion.

However, a new group has now established a panel of scientists, engineers and nuclear policy experts (the EnergyScience Coalition) to review the report “to provide factual and objective information on nuclear issues, following their concern about an unbalanced pro-nuclear focus on the Prime Minister’s nuclear energy inquiry” (according to the group’s first media release, available at: Media release 20-11-06.doc)

The EnergyScience Coalition describes itself as “an independent non-governmental organisation established as a collaboration of concerned scientists, engineers and policy experts to present information to people on the issue of sustainable energy.”

Aside from other information, the website provides brief, useful fact sheets on nuclear issues.

The economics of nuclear energy may scare even John Howard (especially since the coal industry seems to have his ear at the moment). But like the coal industry, the nuclear industry has all the characteristics that usually attract the support of major political parties: sophisticated propaganda, highly connected lobbyists, hired experts, and – of course – lots of money.

For the moment, the Labor Party is standing firm in its opposition to nuclear power, but the pressure inside and outside the party to change its stance on uranium mining, and its usual eagerness to please large vested interests, nothing here should be taken for granted.

The Greens have consistently opposed both uranium mining and nuclear power.