Commissions and inquiries into the nuclear fuel cycle: Public participation and attitudes to risk and process

Abstract

This article evaluates Australian and overseas experiences of commissions and inquiries in connection with nuclear issues before analysing the 2016 South Australian Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission (NFCRC). Australian practice is contextualised with reference to the British and French nuclear tests that have shaped community opinion, and the United Kingdom and New Zealand experience with nuclear power generation that has impacted upon policy. The functions, characteristics and legislative basis of commissions and inquiries are briefly examined, and other Australian experience, including the Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry, is summarised. Public involvement, and concerns about risk and process regarding the South Australian NFCRC are reviewed in more detail. Conclusions are that commissions and inquiries are a useful tool to generate information and enable community debate, but that they remain constrained by their functions and characteristics in limiting potential for change, particularly where environmental effects may be significant, participation is inadequate, consent is not given, and there are issues of public trust