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CANBERRA - Prime Minister John Howard's promotion of nuclear power is a political wedge tactic aimed at trying to expose divisions in the Labour Party, an Opposition frontbencher says.
The government will today formally release the draft findings of an inquiry into a possible nuclear energy industry in Australia.
However, The Australian newspaper reported that the inquiry, headed by former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski, had found that nuclear power would be up to 50 per cent more expensive than coal-fired power if carbon dioxide emissions were not priced.
Mr Howard has been promoting nuclear energy as a suitable source of base-load power as the world gradually moves away from coal to address climate change.
Opposition resources spokesman Martin Ferguson today said Mr Howard was simply using his nuclear push as a wedge tactic to attack Labour, which has divisions on the issue.
Mr Ferguson, who supports more uranium mining in Australia and wants to change Labour's no-new-mines policy, warned Mr Howard his political manoeuvre could backfire.
"I... see this as an endeavour by the Howard government to create a wedge," he told ABC Radio.
"They're always looking for a wedge. The Labour Party's very competitive in the lead-up to the next election, and the prime minister's now desperately trying to create a wedge.
"But he wants to be very careful (because) he might create his own wedge."
In the past, Mr Howard has used issues such as gay marriage and border protection to try to create divisions between the left and right of the Labour Party.
Finance Minister Nick Minchin, a nuclear sceptic, today warned Australia should not discard its natural advantages in the rush to go nuclear.
"One of Australia's great strengths is our access to reliable, cheap sources of power from coal," he told ABC radio.
"It gives this country enormous competitive advantages. We would be crazy to wantonly or carelessly throw away that advantage."
Senator Minchin said the government had not made a decision to build a nuclear power plant.
"We've made no decision to have nuclear power in this country," he said.
"At the moment it is still actually illegal to build a nuclear power station in Australia, but we do think it would be wrong not to contemplate the possibility of nuclear power at some point down the track."
- AAP
