Nuclear ban could end and clean energy funds back it
Jane Hume is a Liberal senator. Her bill would remove the legal bans that stop nuclear power plants being built or approved. It would also let two government clean energy bodies pay for and research nuclear power.
Official name: Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Low Emissions Future) Bill 2025
- Australian law now bans nuclear power plants. It stops the Environment Minister approving them.
- This bill would remove those bans. But nuclear plants would still need nature and safety approval.
- The government's renewable energy agency could pay for and research nuclear and other low-pollution power.
- The Clean Energy Finance Corporation, a government bank for clean energy, could invest in nuclear power.
- It is a private bill. It is still before the Senate.
Who it affects
- Energy companies: They could plan to build a nuclear power plant and have it considered for approval.
- The Environment Minister: The minister could approve or refuse a nuclear project after the normal checks. The law now forbids this.
- Two government clean energy bodies: The renewable energy agency and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation could put money and research into nuclear power.
- Nuclear engineers and technicians: People with nuclear know-how could be picked for the renewable energy agency's board.
Two laws ban nuclear power
Australia has a moratorium on nuclear power. A moratorium is a ban that stays until the law changes. Two federal laws stop nuclear power plants and linked plants from being built or approved.
Senator Jane Hume brought this private bill to the Senate. A private bill is one that does not come from the government. Her notes on the bill say it would "lift blanket bans and restore the option to consider nuclear energy on its merits". That means judging it on its own good and bad points.
The notes point to the Paris Agreement. Australia signed up to it in full in 2016. That world deal aims to keep warming well below 2°C. The notes say countries such as Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States use nuclear power to cut pollution.
The Group of Twenty is a club of big economies. The notes say Australia is the only rich country in it that bans nuclear power. At the 2024 United Nations climate meeting, called COP29, 31 countries backed a promise to triple nuclear power by 2050.
Nuclear building ban ends
One law sets up the body that keeps people safe from radiation. It is the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998. Section 10 of that law says nothing in it allows a nuclear power plant to be built or run.
The same section also covers plants that make, prepare or recycle nuclear fuel.
The bill would delete section 10. The notes say nuclear plants would still be watched over under that law as "controlled facilities". That means they would still need licences from the radiation safety body.
Minister could weigh nuclear projects
The main national law for protecting nature is the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It now says the Environment Minister must not approve a project to build or run a nuclear plant.
It also says the minister cannot declare that such a project needs no approval. The minister cannot approve it as part of a wider plan either. The minister also cannot sign a nature deal with a landholder about building or running a nuclear plant.
The bill would remove all of those bans. The notes say the minister would still have to approve any "nuclear action" under the nature law. So a nuclear plant would still face a full nature check. The minister could still say no.
A wider job for ARENA
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency gives grants and advice. It aims to make renewable power, like sun and wind, cheaper and more common. Right now its law only talks about renewable energy.
The bill would add a new term, "clean emissions energy technologies". It would include nuclear power and other nuclear tech. It would also cover tech linked to them.
The agency could then give money for these. It could share research and advise the minister. It could work with the states. For example, it could pay for a study into small nuclear reactors.
The bill would also let people with this kind of know-how sit on the agency's board. The notes say this would let a nuclear engineer or technician be picked.
Clean energy bank could invest
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is a government bank that invests in clean energy. Its law now bans it from investing in three things. These are nuclear technology, nuclear power, and carbon capture and storage.
The bill would rewrite that list so it only names carbon capture and storage. That means catching carbon dioxide and burying it underground. The bank could then invest in nuclear power if a project meets its other rules.
Waiting in the Senate
The changes would start the day after the bill is signed into law.
Senator Hume brought the bill to the Senate on 29 October 2025. She gave her opening speech that day. It did not come from the government.
The bill is still before the Senate. The Senate would need to debate it and vote for it. The House of Representatives, Parliament's main house, would then need to pass it. Then the Governor-General, who stands in for the King, would sign it into law.
Its journey through Parliament
| 29 Oct 2025 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 29 Oct 2025 | Senate: Second reading moved |