Yellowcake Rudd gets his way on uranium mines

The Australian Labor Party national conference has narrowly supported Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd's motion to scrap the "no new uranium mines" policy.

Mr Rudd's proposal was backed by 205 conference delegates, while 190 supported frontbencher Anthony Albanese's motion to maintain the ban on new uranium mines.

Mr Rudd's motion sparked the only heated debate of the conference so far.

The Opposition Leader opposes nuclear power in Australia, but he told the conference the ban on new mines should be lifted because other countries needed uranium.

"Friends, the reason we have this same amendment before us today is because other countries in the world do not have the same rich set of energy options as we do," he said.

Mr Albanese led the case to keep the ban, saying: "You can guarantee that uranium will lead to nuclear waste. You can't guarantee that it won't lead to nuclear weapons.

Union leader Bill Shorten called on conference to support Mr Rudd's motion.

"If you think that rolling the leader is a great idea then go ahead and vote for the Albanese-Garrett amendment," he said.

New party president John Faulkner was among those who voted for Mr Albanese's motion, but shortly after announced that Mr Rudd's motion was carried.

The debate came as Prime Minister John Howard outlined the Government's plan to develop a nuclear power industry in Australia.

Mr Howard told the Victorian Liberal Party conference that the country needed to reassess its energy production in the face of climate change.

He said Australia's only feasible options were clean coal technology and nuclear power.