Shoalhaven Reactor One Step Closer

Following her announcement that she is now a declared supporter of a nuclear industry for Australia but would object to any plans to build a reactor at Jervis Bay, the current Member for Gilmore’s position on the subject might best be described as that of “Nuclear Nimby”.

Ms Gash apparently wants her (yellow?) cake and to eat (metaphorically we hope) it too. She will not defy her Prime Minister’s hell-bent drive to establish 25 nuclear reactors around the country but wants to enjoy the continued support of her electorate by refusing to countenance one at Jervis Bay, one of the most likely sites, on the grounds that it would be unsightly. [Ironically, since a modern nuclear reactor would impose itself on he landscape less than the proposed changes to Kuskisson village, her silence on that issue is somewhat deafening.]

Given that any decision on the location of the reactors is seven to ten years away, any chance that she will still be in a position to prevent a reactor being built in the Shoalhaven at that time is extremely remote.

I believe that this election will decide whether or not Australia embarks on the nuclear path and consequently whether the Shoalhaven becomes a target of the nuclear industry.

Dr Clive Hamilton, executive director of the Australia Institute has identified “the area south of Wollongong” as a likely site for a reactor.

Murray's Beach was selected some decades ago as the site for our second reactor and some construction work was begun. It has a number of unique features that make its re-selection more than likely-
1. It has a deepwater port
2. It is within ACT territory and so would not be subject to a challenge from a State government
3. It is next to HMAS Creswell and so has inbuilt security against nuclear terrorism, a very real possibility.

Nuclear reactors require large amounts of water for cooling and so are typically on the coast or near a river with a reliable water flow.

Ms Gash has said that she would oppose the siting of a reactor at Jervis Bay for aesthetic reasons but has left open the possibility of a reactor on the Shoalhaven River by saying that any other location was a question of community opinion.

I am opposed to any further nuclear reactors being built in Australia. I believe wholehearted commitment to a mix of alternative energy technologies in combination with energy saving measures is a more viable option to combat climate change.

Under the Government’s plans no reactor will be completed before 2020 but that will be far too late to halt global warming. If a Liberal-National government is re-elected the only thing that may prevent a reactor being built at Murray’s Beach is the fact that the site will probably be under water.