Now, if you were listening to the show. Yesterday, I caught up with the Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor, and i'd spoken to him. He was talking about energy and what the Coalition wants to do when it comes to energy, and was talking about nuclear energy. Now, I had asked him a question about whether he would rule out having a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory, and Jerry Wood messaged me and he said, Katie, don't call it a waste dump. It is a nuclear waste facility. And he has done quite a bit of work when he was a politician in terms of checking these facilities out. And Jerry Wood joins me on the line, Good morning.

Now, if you were listening to the show. Yesterday, I caught up with the Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor, and i'd spoken to him. He was talking about energy and what the Coalition wants to do when it comes to energy, and was talking about nuclear energy. Now, I had asked him a question about whether he would rule out having a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory, and Jerry Wood messaged me and he said, Katie, don't call it a waste dump. It is a nuclear waste facility. And he has done quite a bit of work when he was a politician in terms of checking these facilities out. And Jerry Wood joins me on the line, Good morning.

Jerry, Good morning, Katie. And I don't glow in the day.

Jerry, Good morning, Katie. And I don't glow in the day.

So even despite visiting those facilities, he not glowing yet, Jerry. No.

So even despite visiting those facilities, he not glowing yet, Jerry. No.

And I think one of the problems we have in our community is that there's always been a section of the cam meaning very much opposed to nuclear in any shape or form basically. And so one way to also, you know, promote that side of the debate is that you call where the waste would go, you called it dumped, and make it sound like it's just thrown in a hole and buried. Well, that's exactly the opposite of what I saw when I went to France. I did a tour in twenty fourteen of Spain, France, Germany and parts of the United Kingdom looking at various forms of energy, from solar to win to title to wave technology. But I also had to look at nuclear because I knew very little bit about it. But we also was of interest in ordn therapy because there have been a lot of debate at that time about what's happened to our waste from the Leucasytes facility and what happens to the waste from a lot of our medical facilities around Australia. And the government was looking for a site and looked for a site up near Macadi Station, which was given initial approval by Northern Land Council for us to put in a site to put that waste. Now, I thought, because there was opposition to that as usual, I thought I'd have a look at how France deals with its waste. Now. It has fifty seven reactors and it's had those reactors built since nineteen seventy four, and so a majority of its electricity comes from nuclear. Although the company. I went to see Caller Rivera who's one of the main people that operates the nuclear power plants. Also is provide a big promoter of offshore wind, hydrogen and other renewable so it's not just concentrating on nuclear, but nuclear gives it the base power. So I went to that. I was taken by a lady called Camille to Sheerburg, which is right on the the west coast of France near the Channel Islands, and that's where our waste comes in from Leukacytes, because we have a responsibility to take the waste back. What they do in that area, in a place called La Hague, which is about thirty k's west of Sherburg, is they take out the plutonium from the rods that are sent back from Leucacytes, and they reuse that plutonium. They have a couple of special nuclear plants that can actually burn that plutonium so that disappears. In fact, they have seventeen percent of their energy from nuclear is from recycled product. So what we get back is caesium, which obviously is pairy dangerous, not dangerous dangerous, it's long lasting, but that's put into glass, a type of glass material and then that's packed into a container a little bit like a gas bottle, and that's how we would get it back to Australia. And now we were supposed to get twenty five of those containers back in by twenty fifteen. I don't know what happened, but I know that things are now stored presently at Lucas Heights because the government's had trouble finding a place to put this little bit of waste, and with a very small amount now just quickly. The other thing is there's a lot of discussion about nuclear where we have nuclear power plants. I stood on and I've got a picture of my I did a newsletter and sent this out to everybody in the electors. At that time, I still on the top of forty years of Francis nuclear power plants waste. It's about as big as a soccer field. So they have fifty seven power units nuclear power units, and the amount of waste fits on a rougher the size of a soccer field. And I have not heard of any problems with the stories of that. Waste. Obviously is monitored by the Atomic Waste Tomic Energy Commission or Nuclear Commission, and they have the people I met, they're not bills. They are really always they were always enforcing them that they were very concerned about any issues of safety, and they were always trying to improve. In fact, they've got new new power plants, one was called at Flamanville three, which are able to use much more of the waste up. So France now exports it's electricity to United Kingdom in Italy. It originally was going to reduce the number of nuclear reactors and now it's actually announce said it will build another six.

And I think one of the problems we have in our community is that there's always been a section of the cam meaning very much opposed to nuclear in any shape or form basically. And so one way to also, you know, promote that side of the debate is that you call where the waste would go, you called it dumped, and make it sound like it's just thrown in a hole and buried. Well, that's exactly the opposite of what I saw when I went to France. I did a tour in twenty fourteen of Spain, France, Germany and parts of the United Kingdom looking at various forms of energy, from solar to win to title to wave technology. But I also had to look at nuclear because I knew very little bit about it. But we also was of interest in ordn therapy because there have been a lot of debate at that time about what's happened to our waste from the Leucasytes facility and what happens to the waste from a lot of our medical facilities around Australia. And the government was looking for a site and looked for a site up near Macadi Station, which was given initial approval by Northern Land Council for us to put in a site to put that waste. Now, I thought, because there was opposition to that as usual, I thought I'd have a look at how France deals with its waste. Now. It has fifty seven reactors and it's had those reactors built since nineteen seventy four, and so a majority of its electricity comes from nuclear. Although the company. I went to see Caller Rivera who's one of the main people that operates the nuclear power plants. Also is provide a big promoter of offshore wind, hydrogen and other renewable so it's not just concentrating on nuclear, but nuclear gives it the base power. So I went to that. I was taken by a lady called Camille to Sheerburg, which is right on the the west coast of France near the Channel Islands, and that's where our waste comes in from Leukacytes, because we have a responsibility to take the waste back. What they do in that area, in a place called La Hague, which is about thirty k's west of Sherburg, is they take out the plutonium from the rods that are sent back from Leucacytes, and they reuse that plutonium. They have a couple of special nuclear plants that can actually burn that plutonium so that disappears. In fact, they have seventeen percent of their energy from nuclear is from recycled product. So what we get back is caesium, which obviously is pairy dangerous, not dangerous dangerous, it's long lasting, but that's put into glass, a type of glass material and then that's packed into a container a little bit like a gas bottle, and that's how we would get it back to Australia. And now we were supposed to get twenty five of those containers back in by twenty fifteen. I don't know what happened, but I know that things are now stored presently at Lucas Heights because the government's had trouble finding a place to put this little bit of waste, and with a very small amount now just quickly. The other thing is there's a lot of discussion about nuclear where we have nuclear power plants. I stood on and I've got a picture of my I did a newsletter and sent this out to everybody in the electors. At that time, I still on the top of forty years of Francis nuclear power plants waste. It's about as big as a soccer field. So they have fifty seven power units nuclear power units, and the amount of waste fits on a rougher the size of a soccer field. And I have not heard of any problems with the stories of that. Waste. Obviously is monitored by the Atomic Waste Tomic Energy Commission or Nuclear Commission, and they have the people I met, they're not bills. They are really always they were always enforcing them that they were very concerned about any issues of safety, and they were always trying to improve. In fact, they've got new new power plants, one was called at Flamanville three, which are able to use much more of the waste up. So France now exports it's electricity to United Kingdom in Italy. It originally was going to reduce the number of nuclear reactors and now it's actually announce said it will build another six.

Jerry, I'm gonna have to get ready to wrap up because we've got a head across to the news. But mate, I mean from your from the work that you have done, and you know on what you've seen, and you are the very definition of what was an independent politician. Do you think that we'd be able to manage having nuclear power in Australia and you know and the and I suppose dealing with that waste.

Jerry, I'm gonna have to get ready to wrap up because we've got a head across to the news. But mate, I mean from your from the work that you have done, and you know on what you've seen, and you are the very definition of what was an independent politician. Do you think that we'd be able to manage having nuclear power in Australia and you know and the and I suppose dealing with that waste.

Well, if the French can do it, and they've had it since nineteen seventy four, surely we can learn from them. We can use their technology and their people to help us do it. They're an example of how it can be done. And look, it's not the only top phenergy we've got. In fact, the French president at that time, when he was announcing the idea that increased the numbers, wasn't just commenting on just having nuclear. They need, as they said, to also have renewables and they want to have that balance. But they need the both. They don't need one above the other necessarily. So look, if we use the technology and the experience of a country like France, I think we can do it. But we've also got to take away those years and years and years of people who didn't who want who don't like nuclear, and therefore will promote everything to make it look like it's all bad and the world's coming to an end. It has to be looked up. It has to be done carefully, of course, and we have to make sure that people understand that. But education is also important, and that's why I went to France. How many other members of Parliament have been to France?

Well, if the French can do it, and they've had it since nineteen seventy four, surely we can learn from them. We can use their technology and their people to help us do it. They're an example of how it can be done. And look, it's not the only top phenergy we've got. In fact, the French president at that time, when he was announcing the idea that increased the numbers, wasn't just commenting on just having nuclear. They need, as they said, to also have renewables and they want to have that balance. But they need the both. They don't need one above the other necessarily. So look, if we use the technology and the experience of a country like France, I think we can do it. But we've also got to take away those years and years and years of people who didn't who want who don't like nuclear, and therefore will promote everything to make it look like it's all bad and the world's coming to an end. It has to be looked up. It has to be done carefully, of course, and we have to make sure that people understand that. But education is also important, and that's why I went to France. How many other members of Parliament have been to France?

They have a look good question, good question, Jerry, Jerry would It's always good to catch up with you mate. Thank you so much for having a chat with me this morning. Thanks Katie you, I really appreciate your time.

They have a look good question, good question, Jerry, Jerry would It's always good to catch up with you mate. Thank you so much for having a chat with me this morning. Thanks Katie you, I really appreciate your time.