Chief Scientist Cathy Foley says nuclear energy is "expensive" and the energy debate must be guided by researchRetired major-general Gus McLachlan says the purchase of nuclear-powered submarines is a test of leadership
"If you look at the reports that have been done, it's an expensive technology and it's one where it would take some time to build up the capability to do that in Australia," Dr Foley said."What we should be doing is looking at the evidence and the information that is available and making sure that we make good decisions based on all the different things we have to take into account.
Asked by Q+A host Patricia Karvelas if nuclear power should be on the table, she said: "I don't think we should be making that decision without getting the information that's needed.""Australia has got a fantastic situation where we have so much energy from wind and solar that we should be making the most of that.
Dr Green says fusion technology — melding light atoms like helium to generate energy — promises nuclear power without waste."It's much more difficult to undertake fusion, but there's now tremendous progress …