Both Port Kembla and Newcastle are facing some big challenges.
Port Kembla, well we don't make steel like we used to and nor is exporting coal going to be going forward. Will this continue without coal?
Newcastle, exporting coal won't last forever. Either will the coal powerstations.
Tomago aluminium is Australia's largest aluminium smelter. How long that will last without the coal generation.
Sorry but Lucas Heights is not a Power Plant, It's a small Research Reactor for Medical Research and producing Isotopes.
Its home to ANSTO, essentially the heart of nuclear science in Australia for ~70 years. There were 3 reactors on the site (MOATA, Hifar, OPAL), two have been defuelled, MOATA completely disassembled (it was tiny). HIFAR is still there, just not operational. All are research/medical reactors. But they are real reactors, the sites have fuel storage, reactor vessel, etc. They are similar in output to a small They run nuclear training, they have a prototype Silex laser refinement line. Lots of research happens at the site. In terms of thermal power, HIFAR/OPAL are similar in thermal output to the earliest submarine reactors, but they are in a very different configuration and they do not generate power.
No power at all. There is no steam turbine on the site for them, they are open pools.
But there are nuclear scientists there. Nuclear safety training programs, the nuclear regulator ARPANSA. UNSW has a very strong nuclear program and does excellent nuclear research (SILEX was spun out of UNSW). I know a guy who used to work at ANSTO, who now works for the UN as a Nuclear inspector in Europe. People have lived their entire lives working in the nuclear field in that region.
Both Newcastle and Port Kembla have been badly damaged by heavy industry and coal burning. Both could be sites for a potential nuclear power station, if we were ever to go there. I see 60 minutes has a thing on this week on nuclear power. A discussion
Local communities are always cautious about nuclear stuff. Fair enough, but both have large commercial/industrial districts.
Brisbane is an oddity though. Don't know how that would work. Particularly given the CBD was underwater a few days ago.