Muswellbrook locals have their say on Peter Dutton’s neighbourhood nuclear proposal

Residents of a small NSW town that could one day have a nuclear reactor on their doorstop have revealed how they really feel about Peter Dutton’s plan. Watch the video.

Even in the Hunter Valley, where the site of an existing coal-fired power station has been earmarked for a nuclear plant, locals “absolutely believe” nuclear power has a role to play in the nation’s energy future.

News Corp Australia’s snapshot polling has revealed 53 per cent of those surveyed in the Hunter region said they were supportive of nuclear energy. More than a third (34 per cent) also said they would be comfortable with a nuclear reactor in their region.

The Daily Telegraph surveyed locals for their views in the upper Hunter community of Muswellbrook, a town earmarked as one of seven sites where a future Coalition federal government would create a nuclear power plant at the site of the decommissioned Liddell coal-fired power station.

Muswellbrook Steel Supplies manager Harry Hobden and owner Phil Hobden were both in favour of the proposal.

“(I) absolutely believe nuclear power has a large portion to play in Australia’s energy future,” Harry said.

Muswellbrook Steel Supplies workers (L-R) Phillip and Harold Hobden in the workshop. They’re in favour of Peter Dutton’s nuclear proposal for their community. Picture: Jane Dempster/Daily Telegraph.

“You look at 20 of the largest countries in the world, all of them are doing nuclear, building nuclear power plants and Australia is the only one really lagging behind, won’t accept nuclear and won’t have nuclear moving forward.”

Phil said Muswellbrook was primed for a nuclear future because of the existing infrastructure surrounding the old coal-fired power stations.

“It can be locked straight into that and we’re not wasting more money on new lines and cables and whatever,” he said.

“We have good water supply there, couple of big dams so the water supply is good and it is in the middle of the Hunter Valley and we’re all used to the power stations so this is going to be even better because there is no outfall from it.”

Another local, Stephen Thatcher, said he was “pretty keen” on nuclear energy but it had to be “safe”.

“In the days when I was a hydrographer, nuclear power was a no-no but today we’re more aware of it and so there is more technologies available,” he said.

Retired Muswellbrook resident Stephen Thatcher in his backyard. Stephen is “pretty keen” for nuclear energy. Picture: Jane Dempster/Daily Telegraph.

Muswellbrook Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mike Kelly said nuclear energy “has a future”.

He said he would be comfortable with a nuclear reactor being built locally “as long as it satisfies all the environmental requirements and the risks are clear to us if there are any, and that they are minimised by legislation and control”.

Finders Keepers staff (L-R) Susan Drayton and Karen Buckingham in the Muswellbrook fabric and homewares store. Susan wants “more information” before making a call on nuclear. Picture: Jane Dempster/Daily Telegraph.

Susan Drayton, who works at homewares store Finders Keepers in Muswellbrook, said she wanted more information before deciding whether nuclear had a place in Australia.

“If I knew more information about it, then I would make a decision,” she said.

Others like Holly Brown said they didn’t know enough about the project but would not be comfortable with a nuclear reactor being built in their area while Kaye Collins said the project was “dangerous” and could “destroy where we live”.

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