From excessive water consumption to the challenges of waste management, this brief finds that nuclear power would place an enormous burden on the Australian environment, resources and economy. It suggests that nuclear power is a distraction from proven, renewable-powered solutions to the climate crisis.

This regulatory overview highlights opportunities to strengthen and improve the uniformity of radiation protection and nuclear safety framework in Australia. It finds that harmonisation of the existing framework would have a range of benefits for the community, regulators, and regulated entities.

This report summarises the state of technical development and Australian context for small modular reactors (SMRs) in 2024. It finds that SMRs could potentially form part of Australia’s future low-carbon energy mix but as an emerging technology, in 2024 the cost and operational performance of this technology has not yet been demonstrated.

The main focus of this paper is to provide Members of Parliament and the New South Wales public with an overview of the key issues surrounding uranium mining and nuclear energy in NSW.

While the Australian community benefits from the production of nuclear medicine and nuclear research activities, there is also a responsibility to safely manage the associated radioactive waste products from its generation. The process for finding a permanent solution for storing and disposing of Australia's radioactive waste began in the 1970s and is ongoing.