International experts say Switkowski report a pre-determined conclusion

The Wilderness Society Inc
Media Release       
15 January 2007

An international panel of experts has written to the Prime Minister's nuclear taskforce to condemn the Switkowski Report for failing to address major shortcomings and respond public feedback.

Commenting on the final version of the Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review the panel of experts from the United Kingdom, USA and France stated that the Review gave insufficient weight to comments from a range of sources and instead reached a pre-determined conclusion.

Nuclear spokesperson for the Wilderness Society Imogen Zethoven said, "The international panel have rightly pointed out that Mr. Switkowski's taskforce ignored almost all of the feedback it received on the report."

"This includes a review commissioned by Australia's Chief Scientist identifying the completely unrealistic proposal that an Australian nuclear power station could be operating within ten years."

"As the international panel have stated, this is a crucial point given the need for rapid action to address climate change."

"Any changes made to the report seem to only reinforce the original, flawed recommendations," said Zethoven.

The failure of the Switkowski report to incorporate important comments from a range of credible sources led the international panel to state:

"The Switkowski report thus has not only missed the opportunity to shed some light from different angles on the nuclear issue but also omitted to add a dose of up-to-date reality to its analysis: while the report is advocating the investment into nuclear reactors in Australia, eight nuclear units less were operating in the world at the end of 2006 than a year before."

The International Panel includes the following experts:

• Antony Froggatt, international energy and nuclear policy consultant, United Kingdom (Chair of panel).
• Stephen Thomas, Professor of Energy Policy, Public Services International Research Unit, Business School, University of Greenwich, UK.
• Mycle Schneider, International consultant on energy and nuclear policy, France
• Peter Bradford, former Nuclear Regulatory Commission member, USA.