Acting prime minister Richard Marles said Australia would not join a US and UK-led movement to accelerate civilian nuclear energy development, saying

Australia declines to join UK and US-led nuclear energy development pact

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2024-11-19 08:30:07

Acting prime minister Richard Marles said Australia would not join a US and UK-led movement to accelerate civilian nuclear energy development, saying the technology "does not apply to us".

The UK and US announced said overnight at the Baku climate summit that Australia was "expected" to join the movement. That statement was later removed.

Critics including Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and the Minerals Council have called the government's decision an international embarrassment.

The federal government has declined to join a pact with allies, including AUKUS partners, to accelerate the development of civilian nuclear energy because Australia has no plans to adopt the technology domestically.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles told parliament on Tuesday that the government would not sign an agreement the UK and US governments announced overnight.

"For Australia, pursuing a path of nuclear energy would represent pursuing the single-most expensive electricity option on the planet," Mr Marles said.

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