Media Release: "Absolutely insane; unhinged; crazy" experts slam Labor for new nuclear scare campaign

It is profoundly disappointing and deeply concerning that the current Labor government has chosen to endorse claims made by the Medical Association for the Prevention of War suggesting that the nuclear power industry is responsible for cancers, heart attacks, and strokes. Such assertions are not only wildly inaccurate but dangerously misleading. They disregard established scientific consensus, the operational realities of global nuclear sectors, and the strict regulatory frameworks that safeguard workers and public health.

The nuclear power industry does not expose its workforce to harmful levels of radiation. To the contrary, extensive international studies and regulatory oversight confirm that radiation doses for nuclear workers are tightly controlled and consistently maintained at levels significantly lower than those in other fields—such as commercial aviation—where background radiation exposure at cruising altitudes is higher. The suggestion that nuclear workers are routinely placed at risk is patently false, insulting to the scientific and professional integrity of the industry, and dismissive of the careful oversight by independent regulators charged with protecting health and safety.

This government’s endorsement of unscientific, fear-based rhetoric undermines the credibility of bipartisan security and energy initiatives, including the critical AUKUS agreement to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. If the claims endorsed had any merit, why would the government expose our Navy to nuclear propulsion systems? Why would leading G20 nations—many with stringent health and safety standards—continue to rely on and invest in nuclear energy if it posed such imminent harm?

Such damaging misrepresentations erode public trust, insult the intelligence of Australian voters, and fail to honour the carefully informed policies that shape our national defence and energy strategies. Australians deserve responsible, evidence-based discourse from their leaders. Embracing baseless scaremongering tactics is not just embarrassing—it is a disservice to our national interest, our international partnerships, and our shared future.

Quotes attributable to experts:

Dr Robert Hayes

Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University

"Nuclear energy is safer than wind (even when factoring in Chernobyl). If you exclude Chernobyl (which is reasonable given it is Soviet tech from the 60s), studies rank nuclear safer than solar."

Mark Schneider

Operated 8 nuclear reactors in the US:

"An abdominal CT scan is about 50 mSv of radiation in a 20 minute time period that is 5 times my lifetime radiation dose. I have received 10 mSv of radiation during 23 years of nuclear power operations. That is equal to the same radiation exposure the public receives in 1.5 to 4 years from living on this planet we call Earth. This video is absolutely insane, unhinged and crazy."

Watch his full response video here.

Heather Hoff

Co-founder Mothers of Nuclear, works at the Diablo Canyon NPP 

""All data shows that nuclear workers are actually healthier than average population (that effect is attributed to workers having access to high quality healthcare as benefits of their jobs). I used to have this same fear when I started working at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. I actually kept a list of all my colleagues who had cancer or had died from it. It seemed like a lot to me. But when I learned the statistic that 40% of us will get a cancer diagnosis at some point in our lives, I realised that my observations and fears were anecdotal. I was looking for something easy to blame, and nuclear is certainly a convenient villain. But the truth is that we use radiation to cure cancer, and that we know cancer is caused by a lot of other things - chemical exposures being one of the primary ones - not low level radiation."

Will Shackel

Founder of Nuclear for Australia

"This is an incredibly disappointing development in Australia's nuclear debate. Fear has replaced facts. Once again, Simpsons-style rhetoric is replacing science. This is an international embarrassment."

Watch Will's full response here.