Nuclear Power for Affordable Energy

We support nuclear energy as part of a balanced energy mix. We will stop Labor’s reckless renewables race to Net Zero by backing practical technologies like nuclear, because we believe all energy technologies should be working together to deliver Cheaper, Better, Fairer power to Australians.

Australians are paying too much for electricity while our industrial base struggles under the weight of an overloaded energy system. Australia’s current ban on nuclear power is outdated and leaves us out of step with the rest of the world. We will reverse Labor’s ideology-driven approach and put affordability and reliability at the centre of energy policy.

We support an energy approach that uses each energy source for its best fit to achieve the complex needs of a modern, industrial economy. All technologies should be given the opportunity to compete to deliver reliable and affordable power, including renewables, gas, nuclear, hydro and coal.

Lifting the nuclear ban would not commit Australia to building reactors tomorrow. It would simply allow us to explore and assess the full range of technologies available. It would give Australian scientists, engineers and investors the freedom to study and trial new options, from small modular reactors to advanced clean-fuel systems and next-generation renewables.

More than 30 countries are considering, planning or building nuclear power programs. Australia has the largest uranium reserves in the world, so locking them up and weakening our competitive position makes no sense. If a resource is good enough to export to others, it should be good enough for Australians to use too. We must stop tying our own industry’s hands by supplying energy to our competitors while denying it to Australian businesses.

Nuclear can deliver large-scale, dispatchable, low-emissions power for decades at a time. That matters when electricity demand is rising, and the next generation of industry — from processing and manufacturing to AI and data infrastructure — depends on stable supply. Nuclear also makes sense from a land-use and environmental perspective. It produces near-zero emissions and requires a fraction of the land used by large-scale wind or solar installations, protecting farmland and biodiversity.

A domestic nuclear industry would reduce dependence on imported energy infrastructure, strengthen sovereign capability, and create high-skilled regional jobs. Regional communities host the mines, the farms, the heavy industry and the infrastructure that keeps the country running. Their future depends on reliable, affordable energy. Our energy policy will not force regional Australians to choose between prosperity and environmental responsibility.

Our position is straightforward. Australia should lift the ban on nuclear energy, allow proper research and assessment, and let nuclear compete alongside coal, gas, hydro and renewables in a genuinely technology-neutral energy market. We support replacing retiring coal plants with reliable, long-term energy solutions. We support Australia doing its fair share on emissions — without moving faster than comparable countries at the expense of jobs, productivity and national resilience.

Energy should be a strength for Australia. Nuclear power can help make it one again.