Labor remains opposed to adopting a civil nuclear power program, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.
Mr Rudd said the priority now was to develop effective technology for carbon capture and storage to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
He said the people of Australia could debate anything they wanted.
"Our policy is that Australia has multiple other energy sources and we will not be heading in the direction of civil nuclear power," he told reporters.
"The coalition has a policy which I understand embraces that possibility.
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That is the difference between the two of us. "On the question of a debate in the community, we will happily debate this until the cows come home."
Mr Rudd said Australia was leading the world in development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as in the period 2020-50, coal would continue to play a huge role in global energy production.
"Therefore, when I sit down with leaders around the world and they have a discussion with me about how do we, in practical measures, bring down greenhouse gas emissions, first and foremost on the list is what can we do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity generation," he said.
Mr Rudd said that was followed by discussion about the effectiveness of CCS and how to make it commercially applicable for large-scale storage. He said the government was aiming to realise two or three CCS projects by 2020 and detailed implementation work was now under way.
"The reason why this government is in there with its sleeves rolled up on CCS is because doing it properly is not just important for our country but for China and India. It is massive. "So, that's where I see a core part of our responsibility."
Mr Rudd said the government launched the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute a year ago, and every major economy and energy company were now members.
He said technologies were now being trialled and developed, along with regulatory measures.
"In the global energy debate and how you actually bring things down at a practical level, leaving aside debates about emissions trading schemes and the rest, this is core business for energy technology," he said.
