The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Current Affairs Club team. We pride ourselves on being unaffiliated with any political entity or activist organisation, and this episode is presented strictly for informational and entertainment purposes.

For my inaugural episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Will Shackel, the 18 year old founder of Nuclear for Australia, which campaigns to lift Australia’s nuclear energy bans. We discussed a range of topics, including the basics of nuclear energy, safety and waste management, how Will got interested in nuclear energy and started NFA, his travels and media appearances, and the politicisation of the nuclear debate in Australia.

My goal with this channel is to host the most in-depth, nuanced, and non-partisan conversations possible. I’m keen to interview guests on all sides of the Australian energy debate, and from all across the political spectrum on a variety of current affairs issues.

Discussing current affairs and personal stories is all part of my mission to encourage young people to be civically engaged and ambitious, and to try to better understand the world, bit by bit.

Thank you for joining me in this mission.

Max McLeod:

Instagram: @MaxMcLeodPublic

X: ⁠@MaxMcLeodPublic⁠

Spotify: The Max McLeod Podcast

Apple Podcasts: The Max McLeod Podcast

Will Shackel:

Instagram: @will_shackel

X: @ShackelWill

Nuclear for Australia:

Instagram: @nuclearforaustralia

X: @nuclearforaus

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuclearforaustralia/⁠

Grace Stanke tour tickets: ⁠https://www.nuclearforaustralia.com/tour⁠

Website: ⁠https://www.nuclearforaustralia.com/⁠

Recommended readings:

US Dept. Energy Advanced Nuclear Liftoff Report: ⁠https://liftoff.energy.gov/advanced-nuclear-2/⁠

The Rickover Effect: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Rickover-Effect-How-Made-Difference/dp/0595252702⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:42) What is nuclear energy?

(00:08:43) Safety and waste management

(00:21:14) The Simpsons

(00:24:13) How Will got interested in nuclear energy

(00:25:37) Australia’s nuclear bans

(00:28:18) Starting Nuclear for Australia

(00:29:56) Senate committee and Dick Smith

(00:33:20) COP28 in Dubai, interviewing Macron

(00:36:32) Visiting Britain

(00:41:48) Visiting the US

(00:45:25) The future of energy

(00:49:29) Media appearances and online abuse

(00:55:30) Will’s non-partisanship and the politicisation of the nuclear debate

(00:57:33) Regional communities and jobs

(01:05:43) Everyday radiation exposure

(01:08:55) The Coalition’s nuclear policy

(01:13:13) Nuclear costings compared

(01:18:30) SMRs and other reactor models

(01:28:23) What it’s like being a teenage public figure

(01:38:05) Will the Labor or the Greens go pro-nuclear?

(01:41:27) Global nuclear bipartisanship

(01:43:10) Does a Coalition defeat in 2025 kill nuclear energy here?

(01:46:42) NFA’s Grace Stanke tour

(01:52:44) Reading recommendations

(01:53:50) Advice for young people

(01:55:19) Outro