Nuclear power in a de-carbonised future? A critical discourse analysis of nuclear energy debates and media framing in Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACT The growing threat of climate change and global tensions resulting in energy shortages has led many countries to reconsider the merit of nuclear energy to meet national emissions reduction targets and provide domestic energy security. Australia's unique nuclear experience has led to a prohibition on building nuclear reactors, distinctive from other G20 countries. With Australia's energy transition underway, an exploration of the discourse surrounding nuclear energy in the national debate is timely to understand the barriers and opportunities for nuclear power in our energy future. This article investigates how nuclear energy is framed in media and by debate stakeholders, how this potentially constraints the energy source, and the influence of an increasingly carbon-conscious world on the debate. A critical discourse analysis of nuclear energy in Australia and semistructured interviews are used to understand the discourse landscape. The study finds that the discursive practises of politically conservative social actors engaged in the debate significantly shape how nuclear energy is perceived and received by the public, contributing to a polarised and politicised debate. It highlights the significance of climate change and energy security discourses in sustaining media salience whilst exposing the exclusionary nature of select nuclear energy rhetoric which limit the debate. Further research into public perceptions and discourses around nuclear energy in Australia is required given the need to decarbonise.