Pitt power: MP gets his nuclear inquiry

HINKLER Federal MP Keith Pitt said the Prime Minister's decision to approve an inquiry into nuclear power was a courageous one.

Mr Pitt has gained the inquiry that he lobbied for, and released a statement announcing his support for the parliamentary committee's focus on nuclear energy.

He said that he wanted to see Labor stop with its "scare campaign" and to be objective in the inquiry without allowing politics to get in the way of fact gathering.

"It's not just about looking at whether nuclear could be an affordable reliable power source with virtually no emissions, it could be a new strand to the economy with fabrication, reprocessing, mining and exporting of uranium," Mr Pitt said.

"I congratulate the Prime Minister on having the courage to establish this inquiry and I look forward to seeing the report towards the end of the year."

The national conversation on the subject was much needed because Australia was one of the few developed nations not capitalising on nuclear power as an energy source.

"Yet we mine uranium here and send it overseas," Mr Pitt said.

"There have been significant advancements with technology and the committee will look at a range of areas including waste management, health and safety, environmental impacts and economic feasibility."

Last Friday Energy Minister Angus Taylor wrote a letter to the Environment and Energy chairman Ted O'Brien urging him to investigate nuclear energy.

"This will be the first inquiry into the use of nuclear power in Australia in more than a decade and is designed to consider the economic, environmental and safety implications of nuclear power," Mr Taylor wrote.

"I am confident that your committee, involving all sides of politics, is the best way to consider this issue in a sensible way."