Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
1316th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture — 4 October 2023
"Australia’s nuclear future: a new discourse for the 2040s"
Helen Cook (1) and Dr Adi Paterson FRSN FTSE (2)
(1) Principal, GNE Advisory
(2) Former CEO, Aulstralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)
https://royalsoc.org.au/blog/1316th-ogm-and-open-lecture
The presentation commences at 00:05:01
Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction to the Speaker: Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMS, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:05:01 Presentation: Helen Cook
00:28:42 Presentation: Dr Adi Paterson
00:43:12 Audience Q&A moderated by Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, Royal Society of NSW
01:10:35 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
Summary: The debate about nuclear power in Australia has been deeply divisive, with pro- and anti-nuclear lobbies failing to engage with each other. Helen Cook, the author of the canonical work on legal regulation of the rapidly-innovating nuclear industries, The Law of Nuclear Energy, and Dr Adi Patterson, former CEO of ANSTO, bring new perspectives and argue for a more nuanced understanding of the issues.
Helen Cook discusses the proactive role that nuclear law can play in addressing key challenges for global governance of nuclear power. Adi Patterson argues that the assessment of options for power generation should be technology-neutral. It is a mistake, he argues, to focus only on renewables to achieve carbon zero by 2040. He notes that there is geopolitical pressure, in particular in our region, to be engaged in nuclear industries. Cook notes that 50 countries are currently considering or actively implementing new nuclear power programs, recognising the role that nuclear energy can play as a proven, clean, dispatchable, and economical technology to improve energy supply security and mitigate climate change.
1316th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture — 4 October 2023
"Australia’s nuclear future: a new discourse for the 2040s"
Helen Cook (1) and Dr Adi Paterson FRSN FTSE (2)
(1) Principal, GNE Advisory
(2) Former CEO, Aulstralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)
https://royalsoc.org.au/blog/1316th-ogm-and-open-lecture
The presentation commences at 00:05:01
Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction to the Speaker: Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMS, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:05:01 Presentation: Helen Cook
00:28:42 Presentation: Dr Adi Paterson
00:43:12 Audience Q&A moderated by Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, Royal Society of NSW
01:10:35 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
Summary: The debate about nuclear power in Australia has been deeply divisive, with pro- and anti-nuclear lobbies failing to engage with each other. Helen Cook, the author of the canonical work on legal regulation of the rapidly-innovating nuclear industries, The Law of Nuclear Energy, and Dr Adi Patterson, former CEO of ANSTO, bring new perspectives and argue for a more nuanced understanding of the issues.
Helen Cook discusses the proactive role that nuclear law can play in addressing key challenges for global governance of nuclear power. Adi Patterson argues that the assessment of options for power generation should be technology-neutral. It is a mistake, he argues, to focus only on renewables to achieve carbon zero by 2040. He notes that there is geopolitical pressure, in particular in our region, to be engaged in nuclear industries. Cook notes that 50 countries are currently considering or actively implementing new nuclear power programs, recognising the role that nuclear energy can play as a proven, clean, dispatchable, and economical technology to improve energy supply security and mitigate climate change.
