IAEA Board of Governors
Agenda Item 3: Nuclear and radiation safety
11 September 2023
Statement by H.E Ambassador Ian Biggs, Governor and Resident Representative of Australia to the IAEA
We thank the Deputy Director General for her introductory remarks, and welcome the Director General’s Nuclear and Radiation Safety Report for 2023.
Chair,
It has been a significant year, with the Agency continuing to deliver excellent results on nuclear and radiation safety, including in a number of challenging areas. The Agency’s work in monitoring the nuclear safety, security and safeguards at key nuclear sites in Ukraine, including through the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ), remains essential and we commend the commitment of both the Director General and his staff to this difficult task.
We note the Director General’s commitment to keeping Member States informed, including through 181 updates on the situation in Ukraine.
Chair,
Australia welcomes the report’s update on the range of capacity building activities delivered. These are critical to ensure that every Member State can improve their approach to nuclear and radiation safety.
Australia was pleased to host several meetings that are reflected in this report. This included the Tenth Annual Meeting of the Regional Advisory Safety Committee for Research Reactors in Asia and the Pacific in September, and the Regional Educational Workshops on Regulatory Challenges in SMRs in November. Both meetings provided an excellent opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and experiences, ensuring that our Indo- Pacific region is well prepared for the safe use of existing and emerging nuclear technologies.
Australia acknowledges the importance of the Agency's peer review services in ensuring nuclear safety worldwide. It was pleasing to see so many missions underway during the period.
In a matter of weeks Australia will host a follow-up Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission to review Australia’s progress on addressing the findings from the mission in 2018. This 2018 mission was a comprehensive multi-jurisdictional review, which incorporated the regulatory regimes in place in Australia’s six states and two territories, as well as at the federal level.
This underscores Australia’s commitment to continual improvement, transparency and striving to ensure our nuclear and radiation safety regime constitutes international best practice. We thank the IAEA and the many countries contributing their experts for their support.
Finally Chair, Australia reiterates its full confidence in the independent, impartial and science-based technical advice provided by the IAEA on the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. We look forward to the continued strong collaboration between Japan and the IAEA as this important project progresses and welcome the IAEA’s ongoing role in independent oversight during and after the discharge.
With these comments, Australia is pleased to take note with approbation of the Director General’s Nuclear and Radiation Safety Report for 2023
Thank you Chair.