Chris Llewellyn-Smith: Nuclear power the key to clean energy

According to Oxford University Prof Sir Chris Llewellyn-Smith, Even with the carbon tax, said the controversial electricity source was necessary to move away from environmentally damaging fossil fuels AUSTRALIA must consider nuclear power if it is to have a clean energy future, a visiting international expert believes.

Australia is a industrially advanced country which can handle nuclear safely. The previous European Organization for Nuclear Research director-general said introducing a carbon price was a "brave act'' but called for a new responsibility on imports from countries that didn't tax contamination. On the other hand, in coal mining 5000 people a year worldwide are killed in coal mining accidents.

The opinion of Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson is that nuclear power was not desirable as part of Australia's energy mix given the nation's access to a diverse range of low-cost and reliable power sources.