Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission
The Commissioner was former Governor of South Australia, Kevin Scarce, a retired Royal Australian Navy Rear-Admiral and chancellor of the University of Adelaide.
However, it identified an economic opportunity in the establishment of a deep geological storage facility and the receipt of spent nuclear fuel from prospective international clients.
[2] The Terms of Reference for the commission were set following two rounds of public submissions which were subsequently published on the Government of South Australia's YourSAy website.
They directed the royal commission to investigate matters related to exploration, extracting and milling; further processing and manufacture; electricity generation; and management, storage and disposal of waste.
In May 2015, a list of names of staff and their potentially relevant pecuniary interests was published on the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission's website.
The first Expert Advisory Panel was announced on 17 April and was composed of Dr. Timothy Stone, Prof. Barry Brook, Dr. Leanna Read, John Carlson and Emeritus Prof. Ian Lowe.
[23] Carlson also later gave testimony as an expert witness during one of its Public Sessions,[24] and Leanna Read also sat on the Commission's Radiation Medical Advisory Committee.
[26] Community consultation occurred through written submissions made in response to questions raised in four issues papers and the commission's Tentative Findings.
Each paper responds to the Terms of Reference as declared by the Governor of South Australia with three themes of viability, feasibility and risks and opportunities of each part of the nuclear fuel cycle.
Later hearings will cover topics including lessons learnt from past activities in South Australia, storage and disposal of radioactive waste, best practice regulation and community engagement, and radiation risks to the public and environment.
Other destinations included the United Kingdom, France, Taiwan and Finland where visits to nuclear facilities took place, and to Vienna, Austria, where the commission met with the industry's international regulator, the IAEA at its headquarters.
"[36] On 25 June, Scarce told radio station 5AA that further processing of uranium, nuclear power generation and waste storage were all "on the table at the moment."
[39] Following his appointment, Commissioner Scarce was accused of having previously demonstrated a pro-nuclear bias by opponents of the royal commission including Friends of the Earth Australia.
The Minerals Council of Australia's uranium portfolio spokesperson, Daniel Zavattiero, expressed support for the Royal Commission on behalf of the industry body.
"[48]Liberal Party Senator Sean Edwards has indicated strong support for the inquiry, proposing that nuclear industrial development could potentially attract tens of billions of dollars in foreign investment to South Australia.
[49] He noted that the South Australian Labor Party's Royal Commission represents bipartisan support for an impartial and evidenced based evaluation of the nuclear issue.
[51] In June 2015 Vanessa Guthrie from Toro Energy and Mark Chalmers from the Australian Uranium Council voiced their support for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission.
Lowe concluded: "Any objective assessment of the state’s (energy) needs in the context of a commitment to sustainable development will favour going forward by expanding the proven capacity of clean renewables, rather than gambling on unproven nuclear fantasies.
The Australian Conservation Foundation has questioned the timing of the royal commission given the current downturn being experienced by the nuclear industry in Australia and globally.
They note that the royal commission could represent an attempt to revive the failed bid to establish a nuclear waste repository in South Australia.
[56] Peter Burdon, an academic at the University of Adelaide, has also speculated that the commission is likely to focus on the establishment of a nuclear waste repository in South Australia, most likely on aboriginal land.
[citation needed] Renewable energy advocate Matthew Wright accused the Royal Commission of demonstrating a pro-nuclear bias in order to promote the interests of uranium exploration and mining companies and their shareholders.
Long-term anti-nuclear advocate, physician and author Dr. Helen Caldicott criticised the establishment of the royal commission stating that the arguments in favour of nuclear energy are "many and specious".
She also criticised the Royal Commission for not appointing a medical doctor to the Expert Advisory Committee, stating:"This is a carcinogenic industry that must be halted immediately in the name of public health.
On 25 May 2016, a Joint Committee on Findings of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission was appointed, composed of South Australian parliamentarians from four political parties.
In October 2017, Nigel McBride from Business SA told InDaily that his organisation would continue to lobby for further investigation of the prospect of importing spent nuclear fuel to South Australia following the next state election.
