Nuclear Safety

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:59): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Minister for Emergency Services on emergency services planning for nuclear submarines.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: The South Australian government has released a Submarine Construction Yard Environmental Impact Statement and that process is currently out for consultation until 17 March this year. This EIS process has a YourSAy webpage, a PlanSA webpage and a proponent's Australian Naval Infrastructure (ANI) page that promotes the three ASA drop-in sessions over 19 to 22 February.

The EIS claims there is no risk to people or the environment of radiation exposure from nuclear-powered propulsion systems or onsite testing of nuclear sub reactors at Osborne. The EIS social impact assessment concludes there are 'no significant effects' on community wellbeing and no danger to people or property across an 'immediately impacted community' who live or work in North Haven, Largs Bay and Semaphore, or in the wider community within Greater Adelaide.

These claims fail to recognise the effects and impacts of potential nuclear submarine reactor accidents, which actually currently require evacuation zone planning. In fact, the word 'evacuation' only appears three times in the 400-page EIS and that is all to do with floods, not reactor risks. Even a visit by a nuclear-powered submarine to a port in our nation currently requires emergency response planning that sets evacuation zones for potential nuclear reactor accidents. Therefore, my questions to the minister are:

1. At what point will consultation be done, not just with the community but with emergency services workers, first responders, about what will happen should there be any form of nuclear accident?

2. Has the minister made herself familiar with the ARPANSA document 'The 2000 reference accident used to assess the suitability of Australian ports for visits by nuclear powered warships'?

3. What will be done to accommodate workers—depending on their sex or other status—in terms of a nuclear accident in this process?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:01): I thank the member for her question. I will have to get a briefing on this myself—it hasn't been raised necessarily just yet—but I do understand that the Chief Officer of the MFS, Jeff Swann, presented an overview of UK submarine operations to the South Australian nuclear-powered warship committee on 11 April 2024, and that there is work that has already been undertaken in that space because of those discussions. I am happy to get a briefing on that.