Rudd says no to nukes

Labor stalwarts Bob Carr and Paul Howes have come out in support of nuclear power:

THE head of Australia's biggest blue-collar union, Paul Howes, and former NSW Labor premier Bob Carr have called for Australia and the Rudd Government to purge its prejudices and embrace a nuclear power industry.

Their advocacy at the annual Australian American Leadership Dialogue in Washington after a debate on climate change signals a campaign to persuade the federal Labor Government to rethink its policy on nuclear energy.

Mr Howes, national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, told The Australian that "if we are going to be a green Labor Government, then we have to look at nuclear". "If we don't start today, we are going to put ourselves in a very precarious position in 10, 15 or 20 years' time," he said......

However Mr Rudd says no:

THE Rudd Government has flatly rejected calls from an influential unionist and the former Labor premier Bob Carr to embrace a nuclear power industry as it grapples with how to cut carbon emissions.

Kevin Rudd told ABC radio this morning the nuclear option was not needed.

And in a short media conference, Treasurer Wayne Swan, when asked about the renewed nuclear push answed: ``No, a capital N-O.''....

No matter what Mr Rudd says we will hear more and more proposals for nuclear power stations in Australia. Labor's carbon emission trading will push up electricity prices making nukes more economical. This is going to be a thorny problem for Labor a problem of their own making.