This is the text of a physical letter I have sent to each candidate in my state electorate ahead of our March election. The version sent to my incumbent representative was reworded and hand-written.
Dear ____,
As a relatively informed voter concerned primarily with the medium- to long-term environmental and economic welfare of our state of South Australia, I consider Business SA’s timely proposals for future prosperity to be of considerable importance. Chief among them, the establishment of a nuclear sector, properly regulated, in such a uranium-rich region as ours will open a wide range of opportunities for economic development. The timing is good, with establishment and expansion of modern, safe nuclear power expected in many other countries in coming years, and many decades of knowledge of an international, mature industry to draw on.
I wish you all the best in the coming election, and regardless of outcome I hope that you might at least acknowledge the relative importance of this opportunity. Support for nuclear among South Australians is gathering undeniable momentum as more people utilise online resources, track down the most authoritative information and question the default anti-nuclear status quo. While our state can still anticipate substantial benefits from expanded gas and metals extraction, further development of our uranium resources will at the least provide a greenhouse gas-mitigating source of energy for other, nuclear-equipped countries, and at best fuel our own domestic, emission-free nuclear capacity in the future. If such generating capacity is planned carefully, moreover, the addition of desalination and synthetic fuel manufacturing will further enhance our energy security.
I have studied the matter in the years since concluding my university career and am so far personally convinced that it is vital for our long-term prosperity. The effective federal prohibition of nuclear development needs to be repealed, at the very least, and sober analytical debate free from appeals to emotion and stale propaganda must start this year.
I thank you for your time.
_________, PhD.
The Actinide Age 