New advocacy group Liberals Against Nuclear calls on Peter Dutton to dump nuclear promise

A group of Liberal Party members, supporters and former officials have urged the party to dump its nuclear vow, with fears it will lead to an election defeat.

‘Desperate’ Liberal supporters have urged Peter Dutton to dump his $331bn nuclear promise, with fears the policy will drive voters to Teal and independent candidates in a tightly fought election.

A coalition of voters, supporters and former officials will launch the new advocacy group, Liberals Against Nuclear on Tuesday through a series of ads set to be blasted on television, online platforms and billboards in targeted electorates.

Spokesman and former Tasmanian Liberal director Andrew Gregson said while he didn’t have an issue with nuclear technology, the promise to build seven government-owned reactors by 2050 went against Liberal values of private enterprise and reducing bureaucracy.

“The people involved in this group are not doing it out of malice or anger but out of a desperation of sorts,” he told NewsWire.

“They want to see the Liberals win government, and they are involved in a campaign against their own party. That’s not a comfortable place to be.”

Liberal supporters have launched an advertising campaign calling on the party to dump its nuclear agenda. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

While Mr Gregson didn’t detail how many members were in the group, he said Liberals Against Nuclear had already amassed a “significant” war chest to fund the advertising campaign.

The ads will also target cost-of-living concerns, using figures from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis which say nuclear energy would increase power bills by $665 a year – a figure the Coalition rejects.

Mr Gregson said members were worried nuclear would be a “major hurdle” to winning government with polls showing the Coalition within “striking distance of winning government”.

Instead, he urged the Coalition to “dump the damn thing and get back to the election”.

“It’s a policy that fixes an internal problem but hangs a weight around the country’s neck for decades to come,” he said, referring to the Coalition’s need for a pro-climate and zero-emissions energy policy that wasn’t based on renewables – something opposed by the Nationals.

“It’s clever politics but incredible bad policy.”

Opposition Peter Dutton has urged the Coalition to ‘dump’ the policy. Picture: NewsWire / David Geraghty

Mr Gregson’s comments echo similar points made by Nationals senator Matt Canavan who told the National Conservative Institute podcast that the Coalition was “latching onto nuclear”.

“They’ll help, they’ll help our system but we’re latching on to it as a silver bullet, as a panacea, because it fixes a political issue for us – that it’s low-emission and it’s reliable,” he said.

“But it ain’t the cheapest form of power.”

Former NSW deputy Liberal Leader and energy minister Matt Kean has also lashed the nuclear policy as a “socialist” policy which would drive up energy prices for consumer and hit the budget bottom line.

“I’m not anti-nuclear, but I am anti-nonsense,” he told ABC’s Q+A last week.

“There’s no private investors knocking down anyone’s door to build a nuclear reactor.”