In the media

Media release, 19 June 2024

Peter Dutton’s nuclear policy is dangerous, deluded and divisive – and will cost Australian taxpayers dearly.

As the CSIRO highlights, renewables are the lowest cost new build electricity technology option for Australia. It is also widely recognised that nuclear power is expensive, too slow to build, faces cost blow outs, uses massive amounts of water and is vulnerable to the impacts of heatwaves. Potential incidents at nuclear sites are also essentially uninsurable, with the risks borne by the public.

Peter Dutton has not explained where he plans to dump the huge volumes of radioactive waste that will be created by his policy. While we now know which communities will be forced to host nuclear power plants under a Dutton Government, including the Hunter Valley and Lithgow on the edge of the pristine Blue Mountains National Park, which communities will be forced to bury radioactive waste?

Today’s surprise announcement of proposed sites for seven nuclear power stations in Australia must come as shock to those in the communities selected, as well as many in the Coalition who have now learnt more about Peter Dutton’s ‘captain’s call’. It also comes as both the NSW Premier and the Queensland Liberal leader have ruled out supporting new nuclear power stations in their states.

The cost of this proposal will be in the hundreds of billions, with each reactor costing at least $16 billion according to the CSIRO. Peter Dutton has also not explained how much it will cost to purchase these seven sites from their current owners. These costs will all be borne by Australian taxpayers.

Peter Dutton’s policy will also inevitably lead to higher energy bills for Australians, extend the life of coal in Australia, and delay the progress we are making to build an economy powered by clean, cheap and abundant renewable energy.

At a time when we need to be accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, and maximising the huge economic and social benefits that this brings, this announcement is a cynical distraction. It also sends the wrong message to investors and business.

This policy is about nothing more than the Coalition playing politics and protecting the Dutton Opposition’s fossil fuel mates. It is not a serious energy or climate policy and should be treated as such.