The world we now live in, very differrent than the one that existed after WW11. Moreover, the nuclear proliferation treaty, not worth the paper it's written on, given the number of new players who've just ignored all such international treaties or conventions!

We who have significant deposits of uranium and invented the pulsed laser light method of uranium enrichment! Ought to at the very least, assemble some IBM's and put everything in them, save the weapons grade uranium or plutonium. Or something far more deadly!

And then only in response to an attack from a known source!

And located deep in the bowel of some remote location or mountain range and protected by a Faraday cage. Even then only as a deterrent of last use/resort!

After the continent has been thoroughly irradiated by some fruit loop gone ballistic, and we are doomed with just days to live!

Then it won't matter if a few survivors, take a few extra rads to add the final ingredient and fire them ASAP!

To ensure we reply/retaliate in spades! And only to ensure we have a deterrent of guaranteed mutual destruction!

That surely means we ought to have a nuclear industry and for peaceful purpose!

And as walkaway safe, molten salt thorium and the 2-3 cents PKH that would give us.

And we need to understand some of the basic facts about nuclear as opposed to fear riddled fear mongering!

Let's be clear, the world is never ever going to be a place where we are all going to be wind and or solar powered and we are rapidly running out of things to sell to maintain a now unaffordable standard of living!

The days of coal fired economies are behind us and any more investment in the same, almost as prehistoric as the advocates, who would and or do, promote it!

If we are to go nuclear!?

We just don't have the luxury of time or even playing our hand in advance!

Just do it as hush hush top secret! Or roll over and beg for a tummy rub!
Alan B.

The Lib-Nat Coal Defence Force uses surplus Snowy Hydro tunnels to develop the Eureka Republican missile with coal war-head .

"In 1944, Lippisch proposed that the P.13a be powered by coal. Initially, it was proposed that a wire-mesh basket holding coal be mounted behind a nose air intake, protruding slightly into the airflow and ignited by a gas burner. Following wind-tunnel testing of the ramjet and the coal basket, modifications were incorporated to provide more efficient combustion.
A jet of flame from tanks of bottled gas would fire into the basket once the P.13a had reached operating speed (above 320 km/h), whether by using a rocket to assist takeoff or by being towed.
The air passing through the ramjet would take the fumes from the burning coal towards the rear where they would mix under high pressure with clean air taken from a separate intake. According to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics the results were positive and lessons learned were incorporated into NASA's research aircraft .

APEX bomb calorimeter experiment burning coal specifications

( 1 ) , the heat capacity ( water equivalent ) : about 10500 J / K ( co 2500cal / K)

( 2 ) , oxygen bomb : Working pressure ( filling oxygen ) : Max 3.2Mpa

Pressure test ( hydrostatic ): 20Mpa

Why the assumption that Australia does not have nuclear weapons already?

Do you think that politicians would tell you?
In current circumstances, it's better to deny,
so I do hope that they lie also about this.

An excellent, well researched, article Murray.

Paragraph 5, you say "However after World War II, the US Government reneged on its agreement to share nuclear technology with its allies."

Slight correction. The US supplied submarine reactor plans and Polaris missile hydrogen bomb warhead specifications to the UK under the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_US%E2%80%93UK_Mutual_Defence_Agreement

The 1950s-1960s were a strange time when even Germany and Italy contemplated building nuclear weapons. Even Sweden built nuclear weapon reactors and Cold tested nuclear weapons (in laboritories) see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_nuclear_weapons_program

You say "The US sound surveillance system (SOSUS) which is a nuclear submarine early warning system is not deployed around Australia’s continual shelf."

Slight correction - old or current(?) SOSUS sensors still circle Australia's continental shelf - see my website http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/undersea-passive-acoustic-australian.html . Even crude SOSUS-like sensors, in 1943-45 known as ASDIC "defended" the Brisbane (Moreton Bay) Naval Base in 1943-1945 - see http://indicatorloops.com/moreton_bay.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonar#ASDIC

Certainly all Australiam post-WWII governments, including Whitlam's, have supported the US led ANZUS alliance. ANZUS is underwritten by US nuclear weapons protection.

You are correct that an independent nuclear weapons capacity is a serious option in the face of rising North Korean nuclear threats against Australia. Also China is "improving" its nuclear weapons and long range nuclear delivery systems - that might one day threaten Australia.

Pete
http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/

Oz is busy working out submarine designs and supply ships that work.
( See "First Fleet supply ships 1788").
It will need to do Mach 10 missiles and anti-Mach 10 missile defence.
Then do the fission miniature and fusion multi-warhead tech. Also NBN which consumes 78% of Australian brain-power with dual British marriage home-loans taking 22% .

Yes nick (I think)

Not to mention Land Rights for LBGTIQ Dual-Citizen Whales Undergoing Nuclear Free Hormonal Therapy