The Sauce: Sydney Liberals want Peter Dutton to commit to nuclear

Still licking their wounds after losing blue ribbon seats in heartland territory, Liberals in Sydney’s north want Peter Dutton to formally take a position on nuclear energy. Don’t miss The Sauce.

Conservative Liberals determined to win back disaffected voters are going nuclear.

Still licking their wounds after seeing blue-ribbon seats in Sydney’s north and east turn teal, right-wing members believe the party desperately needs “a point of difference” from their independent rivals.

And according to Liberals in Sydney’s north, it’s a commitment to nuclear energy.

While Liberal leader Peter Dutton has declared nuclear power to be the most credible path to a low-emissions economy, he has yet to formalise the Coalition’s official position.

To encourage him along, local Libs will convene at the Manly Warringah Leagues Club on Tuesday night to discuss the issue. The $10-a-head event is being held to discuss the “challenges and opportunities” in the energy sector. However, a local Liberal source said members would be using the debate to bring on a discussion about nuclear energy.

Liberals in Sydney’s north want to back nuclear energy. Picture: Roman Pilipey / AFP

Opposition energy and climate change spokesman James Griffin is listed as a distinguished guest along with media and national security commentator Lincoln Parker.

The email invite to party members foreshadows a lively discussion, with other energy topics to include energy storage, consumption and policy.

A Liberal source said Parker would introduce nuclear into the discussion “and it will be very prominent in the debate”.

“We are all aware that billions of dollars are in play with renewable energy,” the source said.

“We believe that the community is ready for the nuclear discussion. We also believe that it will help us create a point of difference with the teals.”

A senior moderate source said talk about nuclear energy was all well and good, except for the fact they would unlikely become commercially viable until “at least” 2040.

HUMBLE BRAG

Few could miss the big “Duck & Whale” sticker emblazoned on the laptop of School Infrastructure NSW chief executive Anthony Manning at budget estimates this week.

Appearing as a witness last Tuesday, Manning’s sticker piqued the interest of one bored observer who googled it to find it is a “Porsche culture magazine”.

Anthony Manning’s Duck & Whale sticker. Picture: Supplied.

The Sauce could not confirm whether Manning actually owns one, or wants everyone to think he does.

During the Premier’s budget estimates session, things got so wild a woman sitting among the bureaucrats was spotted knitting.

NATS MOVING

Nationals leader Dugald Saunders is on the hunt for another chief of staff.

The Sauce hears Nat Openshaw is on the move after six months in the job, with the highly experienced government staffer understood to be heading to the private sector.

The departure of Openshaw, who has worked for a bunch of Nats over the years, is a blow to Saunders. A source close to Openshaw said it was a case of needing a change.

WISE WORDS

Former prime minister John Howard has become a sort of Obi Wan-Kenobi to the Liberal Party – a Jedi Master who pops up here and there to impart words of wisdom to MPs wondering what the future holds after electoral defeats both in NSW and federally.

His latest advice was given in the form of a speech at a gathering to mark conservative Liberal MP Anthony Roberts’ almost 21 years in state parliament.

John Howard.

Obi Wan Kenobi.

Roberts, who worked for Howard up until becoming the member for Lane Cove in March 2003, held several portfolios while in opposition before becoming a minister for planning, counter-terrorism and corrections, among others.

Unlike some of his colleagues, Roberts so far appears to be sticking it out in opposition and, as Howard declared in his address to the 450 or so guests crammed into the Sky Phoenix last Thursday, it’s only just the beginning.

According to source at the $1500-a-head event, the party elder spoke of how after hitting his own 21-year milestone, many began writing him off.

Among the guests were Janette Howard, Roberts’ partner Alicia Roberts, property developer Harry Trigabuff, Liberal MPs Damien Tudehope, Natasha Maclaren-Jones and Nationals MP Paul Toole.

SPOTTED

A hot pink bra hanging on the door of the Parliament House office of independent MP Helen Dalton. Despite bemused passers-by musing this week over whether Dalton or her staff had had a big night, The Sauce was informed the Murray MP was simply raising awareness for October Breast Cancer Month. Job done.

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