Bob Hawke divides crowd at music festival with nuclear dumping ground idea
December 29, 20163:27pm
Bob Hawke sings at Woodford Folk Festival 2016
Nick Whighamnews.com.au
FORMER Prime Minister Bob Hawke has again called on Australia to become the nuclear waste storage centre for the world.
Speaking
to the audience at the Woodford Folk Festival north of Brisbane
yesterday, the former PM said Australia must embrace nuclear power to
save us from the catastrophe of global warming.
Not only should
the nation spurn fossil fuels for nuclear power but we should also open
up our vast backyard as a place where other countries can pay to dump
their nuclear waste.
The controversial idea, he said, would be a “win for the environment and a win for the economy.”
Furthermore,
it would allow us to address the indigenous divide in Australia — a
situation he labelled “a great stain on our national character”.
The
previous night, Mr Hawke led the crowd in a rendition of Waltzing
Matilda but his address yesterday was not met with the same united
enthusiasm from the crowd.
“We’re going to have to be prepared to think about changes that are quite radical,” he told the audience.
He
said he understood “the natural concern” of those referred to as NIMBYs
(not in my backyard) who don’t want to see Australia become a nuclear
dumping ground.
“I do appreciate the very strong feelings held by
people in this issue. The simple fact is (compared) to fossil fuel power
stations nuclear power is clean. They are necessary to reduce the
impact of fossil fuel.”
Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke has been championing the idea for some time.Source:News Corp Australia
“Nuclear
power would be a win for the environment and an essential part of the
attacking that must be made on this grievous and dangerous global
warming,” he said.
Mr Hawke, 87, said the threat of climate change required sober and unemotional analysis to address.
“What
is worse for our kids and their kids? Some nuclear accidents in their
time or the destruction of the planet (through climate change)?”
Read more:
http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/bob-hawke-divides-crowd-at-music-festival-with-nuclear-dumping-ground-idea/news-story/cf8ab71374281a0c5f803836f44d88e1