Nuclear power is not a safe, clean, timely, economically viable or practical solution to the problem of grid baseload or greenhouse gas emissions. Green energy alternatives make the nuclear power industry obsolete. There are environmental, health, security and social risks associated with every facet of the nuclear industry; these disproportionately impact First Nations peoples and their lands. Additionally, there are strong links between the mining and export of uranium and nuclear weapon proliferation. And future generations must not be burdened with dangerous radioactive waste
Aims
The Greens (WA) want:
- A prohibition on the mining, processing and export of Western Australian uranium
- An embargo on the construction of any nuclear reactors in Western Australia
- A ban on the importation, transport or storage of nuclear waste
- No nuclear weapons of any type at any time in Western Australia, and no facilities that support the use of nuclear weapons
- Safe use of radioactive materials
Measures
The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that:
Mining, Processing and Exporting
- amend the Mining Act 1978 to prohibit uranium mining in Western Australia (see also The Greens (WA) Resource Mining policy)
- cancel existing mining tenements and begin a process of negotiating the end to State Agreements held for the express purposes of uranium mining
- ban the mining, processing or exporting of thorium or any other minerals specifically intended for use in the nuclear industry
Nuclear Reactors
- prohibit the development of any production-scale nuclear reactor in Western Australia including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
- ban transporting any nuclear feedstock and products of the nuclear fuel chain through West Australian or in Australian waters (other than radioisotopes for medical or other peaceful scientific purposes)
Nuclear Waste
- ban importation, transport or storage of nuclear waste derived from the power or weapons industries
- ensure the long-term containment of existing waste and phase out of new nuclear waste generation
- block any development of nuclear waste disposal facilities, including surface or deep storage, other than for managing locally generated low-level medical waste
Nuclear Weapons
- oppose any facilities in Western Australia being developed or used for the US National Missile Defence system, or similar weapons capability for any foreign power (see also the Australian Greens Peace, Conflict Response and Veterans policy)
- Support the signing and ratification of the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, including the development, production, testing, deployment, stockpiling, transfer, threat or use of nuclear weapons and providing for their accelerated elimination
- close all facilities that enable deployment of nuclear weapons and military communication facilities involved in nuclear weapons activities
- prohibit the transport of any nuclear weapons within Western Australia, and visits by nuclear powered and/or armed vessels
Use of Radioactive Materials
- pursue non-reactor technologies for the safe production of the radioisotopes currently used for medical and scientific purposes
- establish a State dosage register of all workers involved with radioactive materials, and support research into the short and long term effects of exposure (see also The Greens (WA) Workplace Relations policy)
(See also the Australian Greens Nuclear and Uranium policy)
Nuclear Issues policy ratified by The Greens (WA) in November 2025
The Greens (WA) spokesperson for Nuclear Issues is Sophie McNeill MLC