Thje more I read about this the more certain I am that Australia will not go nuclear, at least not with current technologies.

Too many OS nuclear plants are not making money. Australia is seen as a bad market to go into because so much more can be done, and eventually will be done, with renewables.

The fact that the current federal government has been holding back just makes that more certain in the future.

The long lead times and massive investment costs for nuclear also work against it. 

In the end, we are a small market. The world isn't very interested.

Interesting to note: It was Ben Chifley who "set aside" most of the north of SA for the “testing of war materials”, including British long-range weapons. Another area was set aside in the Pilbara, WA. Reason being, points inside the two areas were conveniently the same distance apart as London and Moscow. No use blaming the POMS it was an Aussie who sold SA out.

Later down the track as Thea mentioned, Bob Hawke took up the cry for SA to be a nuclear dumping ground. Now Jay Weatherill.

All Labor hmmm

Labor outlines how it would support nuclear waste dump

ReporterCanberra@jaredowens

Bill Shorten has set down federal Labor’s conditions for supporting the creation of an international high-level nuclear waste dump on the Australian mainland, warning the issue should not languish in the “too hard basket”.

South Australia’s royal commission into the nuclear fuel cycle yesterday urged swift action on the proposal, if there was adequate community support. The state government has promised a decision by the end of the year on whether to pursue such a facility.

Any South Australian facility — to store high-level waste from other countries — would be separate from a planned commonwealth site to store domestic low-level and intermediate waste.

Mr Shorten, the federal Opposition Leader, noted its recommendation that enriching nuclear fuel for electricity was not commercially viable, but left the door open to the waste dump.

“I am interested in economic opportunities for this nation. We have to make sure that the numbers stack up, we’ve got to make sure that the environmental safeguards stack up, and that the community supports it,” Mr Shorten said.

“It has been a good first step to cast proper light in a sensible debate on something which has been put in the too hard basket.”

Bill Shorten has set down federal Labor’s conditions for supporting the creation of an international high-level nuclear waste dump on the Australian mainland, warning the issue should not languish in the “too hard basket”.

South Australia’s royal commission into the nuclear fuel cycle yesterday urged swift action on the proposal, if there was adequate community support. The state government has promised a decision by the end of the year on whether to pursue such a facility.

Any South Australian facility — to store high-level waste from other countries — would be separate from a planned commonwealth site to store domestic low-level and intermediate waste.

Mr Shorten, the federal Opposition Leader, noted its recommendation that enriching nuclear fuel for electricity was not commercially viable, but left the door open to the waste dump.

“I am interested in economic opportunities for this nation. We have to make sure that the numbers stack up, we’ve got to make sure that the environmental safeguards stack up, and that the community supports it,” Mr Shorten said.

“It has been a good first step to cast proper light in a sensible debate on something which has been put in the too hard basket.”

More: Power of good in nuclear energy

Mr Shorten gave unequivocal support to storing low-level nuclear waste that arises from nuclear medical technology.

Federal Resources Minister Josh Frydenberg said the plan was “huge economic opportunity” for South Australia, possibility generating economic activity of $5 billion a year and more than 5000 jobs.

However, he said it was important to achieve “bipartisan support” and “community consensus” before proceeding.

“There are a lot of myths around the storage of wastes and they do need to be dispelled,” Mr Frydenberg told ABC Radio.

South Australian Greens MP Mark Parnell said the commission’s findings came as no surprise but were based on “dubious economics, heroic assumptions and a big dose of guess work”.

Mr Shorten’s remarks have dismayed some in the Labor movement, who noted the party’s platform pledged to “remain strongly opposed to the importation and storage of nuclear waste that is sourced from overseas in Australia”.

Melissa Parke, the federal MP for Fremantle, told The Australian: “This platform commitment was affirmed as recently as last July at the 2015 ALP national conference and is a matter that Labor members are very passionate about.

“Therefore federal Labor’s response to any proposal to store international high level nuclear waste must be a resounding ‘no’.”

I have printed this as the Australian is a subsriber paper.

This was the stance on February 16th, 2016.

The nuclear debate is not over yet in South Australia, with Premier Jay Weatherill saying he wants to hold a statewide referendum on the issue.

"Ultimately this is a matter for people to decide, not politicians," he said.

From: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-14/sa-government-announces-nuclear-waste-dump-future-decision/8022924