Bob Brown and Labor not fair dinkum

This morning we read that Rio Tino has publicly come out in support of nuclear power:

MINING giant Rio Tinto has urged Kevin Rudd to immediately begin work on a regulatory regime allowing use of nuclear energy in Australia, arguing the viability of energy alternatives has been dramatically overstated.

The company has advised the government to consider "every option" for power generation because its pledges on reducing carbon emissions and using renewable energy will expose industry and consumers to huge increases in their power bills.

And it says that overly optimistic assumptions on the viability of alternatives such as wind and geothermal power, as well as so-called clean coal technologies, have created a "false optimism" which the government must challenge by commissioning new research.

As to be expected the Rudd government wants to have nothing to do with nukes:

Earlier yesterday Mr Ferguson dismissed any need for an examination of Labor's prohibition of nuclear reactors at next week's national conference in Sydney.

"Australia is an energy-rich nation possessing abundant sources of low-cost conventional fuels such as coal and gas, as well as many renewable options, such as wind, solar, geothermal and wave energy," Mr Ferguson said through a spokesman.

Unfortunately solar and wind can't provide base load power, and Labor's ETS will make coal and gas more expensive. Nuclear will increasingly become competitive.

My view has always been if you want to reduce carbon emissions and don't support nuclear energy you are just not fair dinkum.

Which brings us to Green leader Bob Brown, who had this to say:

"Australians hate the idea of nuclear power stations," he said.

"Coal and nuclear are both last century. This is a century of renewables".

No they don't senator, public support for nuclear energy is increasing.