CANBERRA, Jun 27, 2008 -- Xinhua

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said here on Friday that nuclear energy was not considered as a response to climate change, local media reported.

"On the question of nuclear, we believe that we have a huge range of energy options available to Australia beyond nuclear with which and through which we can respond to the climate change challenge," he told ABC Radio.

Newspaper "The Australian" reported on Friday that former New South Wales Labor premier Bob Carr and the head of Australia's biggest blue-collar union have called on the federal government to rethink its opposition to the nuclear power industry.

But Rudd said other options were available to the government.

Rudd also reiterated that fuel and transport must be part of a broad climate change policy but the question of whether the Government will include fuel in the emissions trading scheme still remains.

News Provided By