PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Polling done on behalf of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has shown that four out of ten Australians support lifting the ban on nuclear power in Australia.
The polling, done by JWS Research, found that 39% of Australians supported the use of nuclear power in Australia.
Support for nuclear power grew to 55% when those polled were asked whether they would accept lifting the ban on the use of nuclear power in Australia if they knew that a majority of Australians supported it.
Opposition to both the use of nuclear power in Australia and lifting the ban was 33%. A further 29% of people were either neutral or unsure about the use of nuclear power in Australia, with 26% either neutral or unsure on lifting the ban.
The polling found that 54% of those surveyed are unaware nuclear power is banned in Australia.
“This shows Australians need to know more about nuclear energy and how it would help reduce power bills and Australia’s emissions. The MCA has extensively advocated for the use of safe, reliable, zero-emissions nuclear power in recent years to support a mature and informed discussion including producing a new publication on untapped potential and the case for nuclear energy,” MCA CEO Tania Constable said on Monday.
“Climate change is real and as global energy demand increases, so does the need to diversify our power supplies and reduce emissions through technology.
Nuclear energy is safe, reliable and affordable. It provides around 10% of the world’s electricity with zero emissions.”
Constable said that the power provided by nuclear energy is low cost and can meet the needs of industrial and household consumers 24/7.
“Yet Australia, with the world’s largest deposits of uranium, continues to prohibit the use of nuclear power. Any government serious about addressing climate change must consider nuclear in its energy mix.”
The research was conducted in early to mid-October 2019 with focus groups in Sydney and Melbourne and a quantitative poll of 1 500 Australians.