PM backs 'common sense' SA nuclear debate

South Australia's nuclear debate is a "gale of common sense", Tony Abbott says.

Premier Jay Weatherill has announced a royal commission into whether South Australia should be more heavily involved in the nuclear industry, including enrichment, power production and the storage of waste.

The inquiry has the backing of the prime minister, who on Sunday pledged to work with SA on the issue.

The state is home to one of the world's largest uranium mines, and there should be a debate on its use in Australia, Mr Abbott said.

"What I think we've seen from the South Australian Premier is a gale of common sense," he told Network Ten.

"If it's right to mine it, why can't it be right to use it? That's especially the question that Jay Weatherill has put."

The royal commission will investigate whether South Australia should be involved in the "whole gambit" of the nuclear fuel cycle, Mr Weatherill said.

"We are the largest supplier of uranium from Australia, one of the largest in the world," he told ABC Television on Sunday.

"It makes sense for us in that context to explore whether we should deepen our involvement in the nuclear fuel cycle."