Writing for the Nine newspapers on Tuesday, a former federal cabinet minister under the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments said that even though a government returned to power by the Coalition may struggle to get state governments to take up nuclear power and pass laws and regulations for a power plant to operate, it wouldn’t be a stumbling block.
“But fair dinkum, by the time anyone figures out that the chances of a nuclear power plant getting the go-ahead in Australia are pretty bloody low, the election period will be well in the rear-vision mirror,” he wrote.
Now, Mr Pyne reckons the main advantage of the nuclear plan is that it can bring the Liberals and Nationals together on a climate strategy, given the party’s divide over renewable energy options like wind and solar.
Nationals members, such as Barnaby Joyce and leader David Littleproud, have expressed opposition to transitioning Australia to renewable energy, citing large-scale projects and transmission lines that unfairly burden residents in regional areas.
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“Fair dinkum, Dutton has ticked all the boxes in the sense that he’s united the Liberals, steered the debate on energy future in a non-coal direction and convinced the Coalition to act on climate change, a significant feat achieved by former opposition leader Brendan Nelson and prime ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison couldn’t do without losing some face.”
Mr Pyne’s comments align with those made by Nationals senator Matt Canavan in December, who described nuclear power as a “political fix” and admitted it wasn’t the “cheapest form of power”.
“Nuclear isn’t the answer. I mean, we’re just as guilty of this – we’re not taking it seriously enough. We’re grasping at nuclear as an option,” he told the National Conservative Institute.
“I fully support lifting the ban … but we’re relying on it as a silver bullet, as a cure-all because it solves a political problem for us, that it’s a low-emission and reliable energy source. But it ain’t the cheapest form of power.”
