Antinuclear

Former US beauty queen and nuclear energy expert Grace Stanke promotes nuclear in WA

By Kate Forrester, ABC South West WA

In short:

A campaign by proponents of nuclear have funded former Miss America and engineer Grace Stanke’s pro-nuclear tour of Australia. 

Attendees say they had mixed emotions to whether or not the campaign message was what locals needed to hear. 

What’s Next? 

The tour, funded by Australian electronics mogul, Dick Smith will see the 22-year-old visit locations around Australia over the next week, to advocate for a nuclear future.

Nuclear energy advocates have begun a national tour to win the hearts and minds of coal towns promised nuclear facilities by the opposition.

Last year, federal opposition leader Peter Dutton identified seven sites across the nation to transition coal-fired power stations into nuclear power plants. 

The South West town of Collie, 200 kilometres south of Perth, is one of seven sites identified by Mr Dutton. 

Collie was the first stop on the campaign, spearheaded by former Miss America and nuclear fuels engineer Grace Stanke…………………………………..

One of the points the American presented to the crowd was jobs being transferable.

“I think for this town specifically, a lot of the skills current coal workers have can translate into a nuclear power plant or multiple power plants,” she said.

Differing opinions 

Greg Busson, Secretary of the Mining and Energy Union, went to the meeting on Thursday night.

He disagreed with Ms Stanke’s position on jobs being transferable from coal to nuclear but said hearing another perspective was always worth it. ….majority of the workers I cover in Collie are coal miners. I don’t see where the link is there. They’ve never worked in a powerhouse.

“We don’t mine uranium, so where do those people fit in? What other industries are there that are linked to the nuclear industry that will give those coal workers comfort?”

Mr Busson said, looking around the hall, he thought a lot of the attendees had come from out of town. 

“I think part of the problem is they portrayed Grace as a beauty queen, not just as a nuclear engineer,” Mr Busson said. 

“The perception from a lot of the community is they were using beauty to brainwash.”…………………………………..more https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-31/former-beauty-queen-grace-stanke-promotes-nuclear-in-wa-/104881056

February 2, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Western Australia