Australia should develop a nuclear power industry to reduce its emissions, the Minerals Council says, and the Turnbull government should take the first step by removing legal road blocks.
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In a new paper titled Removing the Prohibition on Nuclear Power, the lobby group argues just four words - "a nuclear power plant" - need to be cut from the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act to begin clearing the legal path to the development of a nuclear industry.
It argues that any nuclear power plant would still be subject to Australia's strict environmental laws and that nuclear power offers zero emissions, base-load energy that can run day and night, and that it is operating in 30 countries around the world.
Most contentiously, it argues the technology is safe, citing a British study by Friends of the Earth - a claim opponents would dispute by highlighting the Fukushima, Chernobyl and Three Mile Island disasters - and affordable, which opponents would also dispute.
The call to re-think the prohibition on nuclear power comes as the Turnbull government grapples with how, or whether, to implement a post-2020 clean energy target, as recommended by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel's review of the electricity sector.
It also comes after Fairfax Media revealed in March that at least one in 10 of Mr Turnbull's MPs backed nuclear power to be part of Australia's energy mix.
The Finkel review noted nuclear power was a zero emissions technology but stated "any development will require a significant amount of time to overcome social, legal, economic and technical barriers" and that Australians were highly aware of the hazard posed by the radioactive materials involved.
Minerals Council executive director (Uranium), Daniel Zavattiero said nuclear power was a proven technology and questioned why Australia, which has the largest known uranium reserves in the world, was trying to build a low emissions electricity system "with one hand tied behind its back".
"With Australia's current energy challenges, the country can no longer afford this outdated prohibition. The country deserves to have all energy options on the table to consider in future," he said.
"The removal of the prohibition will mean nuclear will be properly considered on merit and before any project is built it would need to satisfy stringent environmental and regulatory standards and be approved by the federal government."
The paper also states the nuclear industry contributes 3000 jobs and is worth $600 million to the Australian economy. In similar-sized Canada, the figures are 60,000 jobs and about $5 billion a year to the economy. In fact, Australia is the 19th highest user of electricity in the world, and the only country in the top 20 that does not have, or is not planning to have nuclear power plants.
