Greens leader Bob Brown says the situation in Japan is a reminder that nuclear energy is outside "the limits of human safeguards".
"It does raise real questions about the nuclear alternative, particularly for a sunny country like this where we don't need it. People don't want it," he said.
"When the Howard government promoted it, they quickly withdrew it, because the Australian people don't want to be unnecessarily faced with that sort of mega risk."
However, Ms Gillard says now is not the time to have a debate about nuclear power.
Meanwhile, conservationists say Australia will be morally culpable if there is a nuclear disaster in Japan.
Dave Sweeney from the Australian Conservation Foundation says Australia has a direct moral responsibility for any nuclear fallout.
"Australian uranium is bought and burnt by this power company in Japan," he said.
"So there are direct links between the industry here and the industry in Japan, which is causing major problems with mass evacuations, with mass dislocation of communities, with a real threat of a grave contamination event."