National Party deputy plays down nuclear being net zero sticking point

As the nationals meet to discuss net zero, deputy leader David Littleproud has all but ruled out that a domestic nuclear power industry is the key feature of his party’s deal to get the PM’s plan over the line.

Nationals deputy leader and Queenslander David Littleproud has all but ruled out a domestic nuclear power industry as a feature of the party’s deal with the Prime Minister to get to net zero by 2050.

Mr Littleproud said the electorate wasn’t “there yet” on nuclear and there was no point putting “our chin out for it to get hit”, especially so close to the next federal election.

The Nationals are due to hold a meeting on Sunday afternoon, where they will discuss the Prime Minister’s response to the party’s list of demands in exchange for supporting a net zero emissions target by 2050.

Mr Littleproud indicated a resolution would be reached “hopefully” - one way or another - by today.

He was tight-lipped about what was on the list of demands but revealed the Nationals have asked for guarantees to be “set in stone” to prevent future government from heaping costs of a net zero emissions target onto the shoulders of regional Australia.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce with the Nationals leadership team, including David Littleproud, Bridget McKenzie, Keith Pitt and Kevin Hogan, ahead of a party room meeting on Sunday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“We were trying to be pragmatic about this and trying to reinforce the point that we were trying to protect regional and rural Australians,” Mr Littleproud said on Sky News.

It was reported on Sunday that included in the list of demands was changes to federal legislation that would pave the way to a nuclear power industry being set up in Australia.

But Mr Littleproud dismissed this as “speculation”, saying the National Party was supportive of nuclear power but the “electorate isn’t there yet”.

“You’ve still got to win elections, but our job is to educate before you legislate and I think if we can get the electorate to understand that the technology of nuclear has changed, then that’s obviously something down the track,” he said.

“If the electorate isn’t there either why would we go and put our chin out for it to get hit? We’re going to be sensible about this.”

The Prime Minister is due to fly overseas in the next few days in order to get to the COP26 meeting in Glasgow.