Labor says the CSIRO put a $600bn price tag on Coalition’s nuclear dreams. It’s not quite right

The Labor Party's campaign claimed CSIRO had priced Australia's nuclear reactors at $600bn, but this figure actually comes from the Smart Energy Council (SEC), not CSIRO. The SEC’s analysis assumes only 11GW of nuclear capacity by 2050, while CSIRO’s models suggest a longer timeline and higher costs for established programs. Experts warn that early reactors could cost up to double due to first-of-the-kind premium factors, complicating Australia's path toward nuclear energy.