THE HON DAN TEHAN
SHADOW MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR WANNON
GLOBAL URANIMUM CONFERENCE, ADELAIDE
22 October 2025
E&EO
Thank you to the Minerals Council and Nicholas, and everyone who has worked to bring this conference together a huge thank you.
I'm going to start on a very strong bipartisan note and I would like to thank the Treasurer and Energy Minister of South Australia for his comments yesterday and for his clarion call for Australia to lift its game when it comes to uranium.
And in particular, I think we need Western Australia and Queensland to look to South Australia and to follow their lead. Because there is no doubt that the world is looking for more and more uranium.
And I'll touch on another bipartisan note. It was great to see the outcome yesterday of the meeting between President Trump and our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, when it came to critical minerals and rare earths.
This is something that's successive Australian governments have been working on over a long period of time, dating back to the former Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, then the Morrison government when I was Trade Minister, I took a delegation of critical mineral and rare earths miners in Australia to Washington. We met with potential offtake partners under the auspices of Gina Raimondo, who was then the Commerce Secretary. Matt Canavan did work in this area, and to see that come to fruition in such a way overnight was very much in Australia's national interest and should be applauded.
But the one note I will make, is that sadly, we also missed an incredible opportunity to build not only what was done on rare earths and critical minerals, but we also could have added to those agreements, uranium. And it's sad that that wasn't the case. And I'll tell you why it could have been the case.
Three weeks ago, I went to the United States on a fact-finding mission because I wanted to learn myself about what the opportunities are when it comes to uranium, when it comes to nuclear.
And I met with Chris Wright’s under study when it comes to nuclear energy in the United States administration, Mike Goff. And he assembled four of his team in that meeting. Now, just to give you a sense of it, it's not highly usual that administrations or foreign governments will put on such a meeting for an opposition spokesperson, but they were very keen to send a message.
And this is the message that they sent us in Australia. The one thing that keeps the United States administration up at night is where they're going to get their future supply for uranium. That is what they said to me, loud and clear. So it is a great shame that uranium wasn’t part of the discussions that were held between Prime Minister Albanese and President Trump. But my hope is that it will be in the future, and one of the things I would say in a very bipartisan way again, is maybe there is an opportunity here for the South Australian State Government and for Tom to take a delegation of the uranium producers here in Australia to Washington, and to lead in this area. And I'd be very happy if Kevin Rudd can't do it to provide introductions to Mike Goff for Tom, because I think this is a missing piece in the relationship that we're building when it comes to critical minerals and rare earths with the US administration. And my hope is that ideology won't get in the way of us seizing that opportunity.
Can I also say I agree with what Tom said and I agree what the Premier of South Australia have said when it comes to the importance of not only uranium, but of nuclear, when it comes to emissions reduction in this country.
There is no doubt that the rest of the world is looking to nuclear energy as a way of providing efficient, clean, baseload power so that they can reduce their emissions. No doubt, whether it be in Europe, whether it be in the United States or across the globe, countries are looking at nuclear like they never have.
When I was in the US, everywhere that I went, including the Idaho National Laboratory, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the two words that they said to me was nuclear renaissance, nuclear renaissance, nuclear renaissance. That is what is happening globally.
And why Australia wouldn't want to be part of that beggars belief. And especially if we are serious about reducing emissions. Because it's all very well to talk the talk, but when emissions are flatlining in this country and when we haven't even started on the hard to abate sectors of our economy, why would you leave out a key piece of technology which can help in that regard, especially when the rest of the world is looking at it?
And we were just discussing before, it's not just Eastern Europe, it's not just the United States, Canada, it's just not Western Europe, but we're starting to see it occur in our near region.
Indonesia have just signed an MOU with Russia to look at developing nuclear energy in Indonesia. Now surely, surely, we should look at this and think, is there a better way for our near neighbour to develop a nuclear industry? Maybe we could have been a part of that. Maybe we could have been promoting the technology to help and support that. And we have that know how, we have that technology.
When you look at Lucas Heights and the spin-off of technology that's come from that, we have the capability if we are prepared to invest in it, to incentivise it, to encourage it. Yet the sad reality is a lot of that technology when it comes to value adding to our uranium, is heading to the United States. When it comes to the developing microreactors, when it comes to developing Small Modular Reactors, that technology being developed here to go through its final proofing has to go in the United States, because we cannot do it here. It just does not make sense.
And I think it's upon all of us to make sure that we keep making that case to the current government because they're looking more and more outdated when it comes to their approach to uranium, when it comes to their approach to nuclear.
And when you talk to young people in Australia in particular, they get and understand this because they see and read what is happening, especially when it comes to data centres, when it comes to AI, and if we're going to be able to power these key, key developing knowledge industries which are going to drive the future of the world, then you need secure emissions-free energy to be able to do it.
And yet we literally are putting the blinds down when it comes to exploring these potential opportunities.
And what that means to young Australians in particular, that they will miss the opportunities that the rest of the world were looking at when it comes to these knowledge industries. And we have the capabilities and the know how here to be a part of that development.
But it's not just the knowledge industries of the future that are going to need this large increase in energy. Forecasts say a further 50% increase in energy will be required between now and 2050 to meet the AI demands, the knowledge industry demands, but also to continue to live, the rest of the world to be in a position where they enjoy the living standards that the majority of us do here in Australia.
You think of what's still got to happen when it comes to Africa, when it comes to the Middle East, when it comes to Asia, when it comes to Latin America. They still have to lift their people out of poverty so that they can enjoy a living standard that we do.
And what will that require? It requires energy. And unless we want to continue to make sure that the lion’s share of that energy is oil, is coal and it’s gas, then we have to be looking to nuclear to play a serious, serious part. And here in Australia, we are just not on that page sadly.
Now, it's interesting to see that the way the population here in Australia view uranium and nuclear is changing. And it's also changing around the rest of the world.
There is Pew research out which overnight, which shows in the United States, nuclear now enjoys 60% support across both Republicans and Democrats. And the interesting thing about the data is when it comes to any energy supply, any energy supply, it is the closest to bipartisan support outside of solar.
So both on the left and the right in the United States, they're starting to realise that this has to be a key energy source going forward.
Now, my hope is that here in Australia we can see that gap bridged as well, and under that strong leadership that we’re seeing here in South Australia, my hope is the strong leadership that we’ll continue to see when it comes from a Coalition Opposition, we will be able to bridge that gap into the future as well.
So, I'll conclude here and I'm happy to take questions but can I thank you again for participating in this conference. Can I thank you for the work that you're doing. Because you're adding valuable, valuable national income. You're adding future jobs and current jobs. It's critical for our economy. I think you're paving the way for one of the key ways that we would be able to deal with the global transition and also, you are making sure that the rest of the world will have a secure supply of uranium hopefully into the future. Thanks very much.
Q&A
Janine: Thanks for a great talk, Dan. We do have a table of students over there, if you just want to stand up guys, who are from Flinders University studying engineering and just from the perspective of how critical this is for our future, and maybe one of them would like to grab the microphone but I won’t put them on the spot.
But look, it's great that we've got that course, but the sad thing is they have to go to Rhode Island to do their practical work because we don't have a reactor here. And the other part where they've got the partnership between Rhode Island and Manchester University.
But also, they only cover the defence side of nuclear energy. They do nothing on nuclear energy.
So, you know, there's some massive contradictions there, despite there is leadership in South Australia, and I agree we’re way above of the rest of Australia but the point of Rhode Island is they're not funded for that.
So I don’t know if one of them wants to talk, but thanks very much for your talk.
Dan Tehan: Thank you, Janine, can I say well done on what you’re doing. I think it’s outstanding and I think you're very much part of the future industry which I didn't knows no bounds in where it's going because what I saw in the US, the technology is remarkable and the investment into the technology whether it be micros, SMRs or larger scale, it's just extraordinary.
And its private capital that is starting to drive it. Good luck, if you do go to Rhode Island, I think you'll find it fascinating. My hope is that what we will be able to do is enable you to work on nuclear reactors here in Australia.
It's funny when you talk to engineers, they cannot believe that we will not embrace this technology because engineers know and understand how safe it is and what is the potential of the sector.
And I met with some young students who are also studying nuclear engineering at the University of New South Wales two weeks ago, and they were similarly, just couldn't wait to get stuck into their studies and sort of really, really bright future.
If I could just ask for one thing, when you're talking to all your friends, please just make sure you say to them that this is just got huge opportunity, huge potential and we all should get behind it because not only will it drive the energy that we need but it also does impact an emissions free way so all the very best and if you want to have a chat at any time, please be feel for the reach out.
Gary: Dan, thank you for coming and presenting this morning. It's really, really good to hear your input.
In a past life, um, my name’s Gary. I run a small exploration company who've got some uranium projects, some …. projects in the territory. Through one of our past lives, I had a conversation with Murray Watt, and I won't tell you how I managed to get that attendance with Murray. Very, very, you know, warm and open individual. Very, very smart, you know, individual as well.
And when I explained I had uranium and copper projects that I'm trying to promote and get up, he looked at me and he said, "Gee, the copper sounds interesting." It's that kind of double speak.
And what I'm wondering is, does it sound like you need to do a lot more work lobbying here with politicians before we even consider going OS - just start to negate that blindness that that is happening, you know amongst a certain section of the political system here.
The other comment I make, is how I considered the issue of employment, capacity building, just in general, in the exploration mining sector to be a really paramount issue. And I said that technically, it's a critical industry. And that was another area where I got on a bit of an eye roll and you know, all this other sectors as well, but those two, you know, two things.
I mean, do we need to do more work here lobbying amongst, not amongst necessarily state but a federal level to be able to start to get through and get right across the board here.
Dan Tehan: Gary, I think it's a really good question. I think the answer is yes. I think trying to educate our Members of Parliament on the future of nuclear and the importance of uranium globally, I think it's a must.
And I think there is a real need to do it. If you have a look at the generation that serves in our Federal Parliament, it is still a generation which largely is sort of 40 plus and it's still I think carries with it, you know, rightly or wrongly, the doctrinarian which occurred sort of through the '70s and '80s. And I think there is a real need to sort of step people away from that, really show them what is happening around the world.
And I think now, show them what is about to occur here in Australia because as was mentioned, we're about to have in the very near future, nuclear powered submarines off the coast of South Australia, off the coast of Western Australia, and we're going to be servicing them.
Now, we also have a commitment to get rid, once we take our ownership of those subs, to deal with the waste. So these are problems that we're going to have to deal with and what we should be doing in the same way that AUKUS is bipartisan, and is truly bipartisan, we should be saying, okay, why can't we develop a civil nuclear industry here in Australia in exactly the same way?
And I think if we could do that, and it's only going to start by education, and it's a sad thing for me to stand up here and have to say that we have to educate our Federal Members of Parliament more. But it's exactly what we do need to do, because the hypocrisy is going to become more and more apparent.
But not only that, I can tell you, they're going to look ancient, they're going to look antiquated, they're going to be outdated with their views, because when you look at where the rest of the world is heading, they know and understand this is going to be the key component of the energy mix going forward.
So the sooner we can wake up and point that out the better, and it is going to require education.
So anything that you can do to help in that regard, I think will be great. Anything that comes out of this conference that will help in that regard would be great, because at the moment we really looked like we’ve got our head buried in the sand.
[person unknown]: Just a quick final last one. There was a lot of work down under the Liberal Party with Ian Macfarlane and backing up the Howard days, the Uranium Council was headed up with the Resource Minister Ian initially for looking – it went for 10 years. It was a lot of good work, huge amount of good work.
And I would say, we need to look back at that good work that was done on uranium globally through the whole country, education, videos, back sheets, there was a huge amount of work in that quarterly, BHP, Rio Tinto, ……. from the industry, and it was a great initiative, but then when Fukushima happened and the politicians saw that the 60/40 went to 35/70, it stopped, overnight, done.
So I just encourage people to see what work has been on this in Australia. We’ve made real progress because we had the WA, first, it was Liberal Party in WA. We made progress in all over the country, and I just want people to understand that don't forget what's been done in the past, because there's a huge amount of work that could be resurrected for the future.
Dan Tehan: I think that's a very good point. Now, sadly, I have to go to Sydney to speak at the AFR Energy Conference this afternoon, so I would love to stay longer. I would love to have a greater dialogue with you, but my door is always open. If any of you ever want to come see me in Canberra, in Victoria, I'll come back to South Australia, please feel free to reach out. Where I can assist, where I can and help, I’m more than willing to do so. And well done again on what has been a great conference over the last two days. Thanks very much.
