Annastacia Palaszczuk called out after dismissing nuclear energy on Q+A appearance

A teenage boy has called out former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk after she rejected nuclear power plants as an option for Australias future energy mix.

On ABCs Q+A, Ms Palaszczuk argued against nuclear energy during a debate about Peter Duttons proposal to construct seven nuclear reactors if he wins the next election.

Nuclear is not the option, Ms Palaszczuk argued on Monday night. It is not the answer because it is simply too expensive, and we do not have 20 years to wait to build a nuclear power station.

And where are you going to put it? You cant put a nuclear reactor on the coast of Queensland, we get cyclones, Ms Palaszczuk said.

Instead, she advocated for speeding up Australias decarbonisation process by expanding the use of solar panels and batteries.

Ive just come back from a trade mission to China and to Japan. These factories in China are mass-producing batteries like youve never seen before.

We need to be partnering and putting them in place here.

But Will Shackel, a young pro-nuclear campaigner, quickly responded on social media, arguing that nuclear plants are designed to withstand extreme conditions, including cyclones.

Nuclear plants are built for much worse, he wrote on social media.

Annastacia Palaszczuk argued against nuclear energy during a debate about Peter Dutton s proposal to construct seven nuclear reactors if he wins the next election

What would a cyclone actually do? Nuclear plants are literally built to withstand aircraft impacts. We need less fear and more facts.

He cited data which claimed that in nearly 20,000 years of combined nuclear plant operation, only three major accidents have occurred.

He claimed they were Three Mile Island, Fukushima, and Chornobyl, with only Chernobyl resulting in deaths from radiation due to management issues and outdated technology.

The Albanese governments energy minister, Chris Bowen, has dismissed the idea of nuclear power as a fantasy wrapped in a delusion, accompanied by a pipe dream.

Instead, it will focus on renewable energy projects such as wind, solar, battery and hydro in a bid to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Entrepreneur Dick Smith warned that Labor politicians will eventually be forced to support nuclear energy, as he believes their green energy plan is destined to fail.

They will be convinced because there is simply no alternative, Mr Smith said.

We will have blackouts - you cant run a country on intermittent solar and wind; it is impossible.

I understand every state has a ban on nuclear power, as well we have a federal ban on nuclear power, so those bans will have to be lifted.

Will Shackel, a young pro-nuclear campaigner, quickly responded on social media, arguing that nuclear plants are designed to withstand extreme conditions, including cyclones

Were one of the largest sellers of uranium in the world, but we have legislation stating you cant even consider it, and that is completely ridiculous.

He also claimed the costs were not prohibitive.

Im a believer in climate change, and Im concerned for my grandkids.

I believe the only answer for the world to tackle climate is by going nuclear, by embracing it.

The government claims that its too expensive, but I said countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan have embraced nuclear, and theyre poor countries, so its not logical that Bangladesh can afford nuclear and Australia cant.

When it came to storing nuclear waste, Mr Smith suggested the Olympic Dam in South Australia, which is also a known deposit for uranium.

Ive been down in the mine at Olympic Dam - theres huge, great cavities where we took uranium out, thats where we should store the waste, he said.