The federal government has opened the door to an Australian nuclear weapon.

Critics warn a simple amendment to the legislative responsibilities of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), will spark concern around the region.

In December last year, Canberra gave ANSTO a broad new power to ‘defend’ Australia.

Richard Broinowski, a former senior Australian diplomat and author of Fact or Fission, said the amendment to the 1987 ANSTO Act “clearly could open the way to nuclear weapons- related research”.

Academic and Friends of the Earth campaigner, Jim Green, described the amendment as “intriguing”. “I’m not a lawyer but it seems that the explicit ban on weapons research-production in previous legislation has been replaced by a statement that ANSTO can work on nuclear weapons,” Green said.