Activists are spending big on pro-nuclear ads, but it’s Dutton’s silence that has Labor’s attention

The Liberal Party has not used the word “nuclear” in any of its 24 paid ads running on social media, prompting Energy and Climate Minister Chris Bowen to claim the Coalition is now hiding its signature energy policy as protesters crash opposition media events.

An analysis of Meta’s advertising library, which tracks the messages that parties boost, shows the Liberals promoting Labor’s handling of the inflation crisis, energy bill prices and other key talking points, but the party last funded a push of its nuclear power policy back in November.

Anti-nuclear activists from radical climate group Rising Tide snuck into separate events at which Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor were speaking on Thursday, underscoring the contentiousness of the proposal to build seven nuclear plants to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

At Taylor’s event in Sydney, activists dressed in business attire effectively took over the press conference, raising questions about the security of MPs ahead of an election campaign.

Coalition MPs, unauthorised to speak to the media, told this masthead they wanted to see an opposition policy on gas and more immediate policies to put downward pressure on power bills, as LNP senator Matt Canavan calls for the opposition to embrace coal as a cheap form of energy. Currently, the Coalition promises a cheaper energy grid by 2050 but does not offer lower energy price rises in the short- or medium-term.

Dutton has posted written messages or videos about nuclear three times this year on Facebook. Energy spokesman Ted O’Brien has posted about nuclear a handful of times since January, but often omits mention of nuclear when writing online about energy and did not mention nuclear in his statement following last week’s power bill price rise.

Opposition energy spokesman Ted O’Brien listening to Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Dutton is keen to emphasise the Coalition’s “balanced energy mix” that modelling carried out by Frontier Economics estimates would come in cheaper than Labor’s plan, and be underpinned mostly by renewable energy. Labor disputes these figures.

Bowen said “Peter Dutton knows his $600 billion nuclear scheme is a policy dud”, arguing the opposition was “now hiding nuclear as his signature policy” in advertising.

O’Brien fired back, saying Bowen – a key target of conservative ire – was dodging debates in regional towns where energy was a top issue.

“Last election, Labor was advertising their promise of a $275 reduction in household power bills, but since families are now paying up to $1300 more than promised, they’ll be running flashy ads on a different set of false promises this time,” O’Brien said.

“It says a lot about Labor’s priorities when their focus is on advertisements instead of doing the heavy lifting on energy policy.”

The long-running clash over energy sources is pivotal in the battle over cost of living that the Resolve Political Monitor shows is by far voters’ top concern. The survey shows the Coalition holds a 10-point lead over Labor on the issue of energy, as bills have risen despite a core Labor pledge from the last election to cut bills by $275.

Resolve’s December survey shows 21 per cent of voters favoured government subsidies for nuclear energy, while 45 per cent of voters backed subsidies for rooftop solar and 34 per cent supported subsidies for home batteries.

Despite the opposition’s paltry marketing of nuclear power, third-party activist groups are spending big on pro-nuclear advertising to influence the federal election.

Will Shackel hugs a nuclear waste canister in a social media post. Credit: Facebook.

Businessman Dick Smith is a prominent campaigner. He has tipped more than $90,000 into advertising the benefits of nuclear energy and donated more than $80,000 to the Nuclear for Australia lobby group run by 18-year-old Will Shackel.

Another group, Mums for Nuclear, is also running paid ads. It is unclear who is donating to the outfit, but its posts include links to Smith’s website. The group has been contacted for comment.

A new group of Liberal voters is campaigning for the opposition to ditch its nuclear policy, warning it is set to cost the party the election.

Spokesman for the Liberals Against Nuclear group, Andrew Gregson, is a former Tasmanian Liberal director and candidate. He declined to detail the size of the group’s membership or financial backers but said it would draw on “considerable” funding.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.