The South Australian Government has not formed a position, either for or against, a proposal for a nuclear waste dump that would store more than 10 per cent of the world's waste, Premier Jay Weatherill says.

Early findings from the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission have been released by commissioner Kevin Scarce.

"These tentative findings provide all South Australians with a set of facts to assist them in reaching their views about this most important issue," Mr Weatherill told an Adelaide news conference.

"We can base our judgments upon the most comprehensive and up-to-date set of facts ever produced about SA's involvement in the nuclear fuel cycle.

"This morning Cabinet considered the tentative findings. I need to make clear that, at this point, Cabinet has not formed any position, either for or against, concerning any of the tentative findings in the report."

Mr Weatherill agreed with a view expressed by Mr Scarce that an emotion-charged debate was ahead.

"However it's important that everybody be afforded an opportunity to have their say," he said.

"In a sense, this is a test of our democracy. Can we take a controversial issue which is about the long-term future of our state and consider it in a respectful and intelligent way and reach a wise judgment?"

Opposition yet to offer any bipartisan support

SA Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said the Liberals would wait until the final report was released in May before offering any bipartisan support.

"I think that's the only chance of success, if there is bipartisan support," he said.

"But there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before we offer that bipartisan support.

"We need to look very closely at the final recommendations when they're brought down in May."

Asked if the Liberals would support the establishment of a waste dump in the state, Mr Marshall said he supported making a "responsible decision on behalf of all South Australians".

"Any decision to expand South Australia's role in the nuclear industry needs to be a community decision with support from both the state and federal government.

"We need to weigh up the opportunities and risks associated with expanding SA's role in the nuclear fuel cycle and further work is required to look at exactly how we could be involved."

SA Greens leader Mark Parnell says the royal commission is part of efforts to soften up public opinion. ( ABC News )

South Australian Greens leader Mark Parnell said the inquiry's tentative findings were unsurprising and aimed at softening up community attitudes.

"We've known from day one that this process was all about the dump," he said.

"What the Greens are calling for is for Premier Weatherill to have the spine that his predecessor had when [Mike Rann] fought off the nuclear waste dump for South Australia.

"Premier Rann knew that the reputational damage it would cause was not worth it."

Mr Parnell said the state could do better than the commissioner had proposed.

"Over the next five weeks South Australians will have to consider is that the best we can do for ourselves and the next generations — to become the world's nuclear waste dump?" he said.

"I think we can do much better than that."

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Labor had always supported the safe storage of low grade nuclear waste such as nuclear medical waste.

"What we need to make sure, if it is going to be higher levels of storage, getting into the international business of storing other peoples' nuclear waste, is that there is an economic benefit," he said.

"[If] it meets all the environmental concerns, [if] there is community support as well.

"Jay Weatherill and I are of one mind. We need need a sensible analysis, not one inflamed with tabloid headlines and we will work through the issues."

'Immoral' dump will be fought

Karina Lester's father was affected by the Maralinga atomic tests in the 1950s in outback SA and vowed she would fight to keep any dump out of Aboriginal communities.

"I want to urge all my Anangu representatives and also the wider Aboriginal community to be very actively involved in this and to speak up to tell their stories, because we all have a story to talk about how this nuclear [testing] has impacted on us," she said.

"We've got cultural responsibilities and we've also got responsibilities to our next generation.

"It is very immoral and it's catastrophic to be talking about waste. The waste is not going to end up in Adelaide — it will be remote South Australia."

Business SA's Nigel McBride says a nuclear push is of longer-term economic benefit, but not a short-term fix for the state. ( ABC News )

Business SA chief executive Nigel McBride said the organisation had long been calling on the SA Government to consider ways to add value to the state's vast uranium reserves and the royal commission was looking in that direction.

"While today's findings highlight significant opportunities for South Australia, we must bear in mind that any move to adopt nuclear energy or to construct a used-nuclear fuel repository would not deal with short-term economic issues but certainly could be central to our medium to long-term economic outlook," he said.

"The royal commission's findings provide an opportunity for the public, including business, to think boldly about how South Australia could benefit from the nuclear fuel cycle if the risks are appropriately managed."

Mining industry welcomes uranium expansion potential

Association of Mining and Exploration Companies chief executive Simon Bennison welcomed Mr Scarce's initial report.

"The findings vindicate the expansion of the uranium exploration and mining industry throughout Australia," he said.

"The robust independent review found that South Australia can safely increase its participation in nuclear activities which would improve the economic welfare of the South Australian community.

"Much more can be done to secure economic benefits for all Australians from uranium exploration and mining in a safe and viable way, develop the mines of tomorrow and deliver a low emission energy alternative."

Environmental lobby group Friends Of The Earth said the initial findings were disappointing and achieved what it had suspected would happen.

"The narrow terms of reference and a predominantly pro-nuclear advisory panel have produced recommendations which are little more than regurgitated propaganda, with little or no critical analysis or detailed economic costing," it said in a statement.

Conservation SA chief executive Craig Wilkins said South Australians would need to genuinely embrace the idea of a waste dump before it could happen.

"This is a forever path the commissioner is suggesting. We can't turn back or say: 'Oops, we got it wrong'," he said.

"The royal commission presents an optimistic view of potential profits from offering Australia as the world's nuclear waste dump.

"The commission acknowledges that nuclear waste needs to be isolated from the environment for 'many hundreds of thousands of years' yet there is no attempt to cost the management of waste over those time frames."