There’s no point in the government denying viability of nuclear

There’s no point in the government denying viability of nuclear

Whichever way we look at things, nuclear power must be a consideration in Australia. Peta Credlin is correct: burying our heads in the sand and refusing to consider it, in a country as vast as ours, is simply ridiculous (“Dutton must power ahead on nuclear policy”, 7/3).

We seem to be forever behind the ball when it comes to these important issues – hence the worrying possibility that Australia is the dumping ground for electric vehicles, having closed all of our own facilities in that area of manufacturing. Nuclear energy is being used successfully in all advanced countries, but Australian leaders seem content to follow rather than join the movement.

Worse, there is an unwillingness to even discuss it seriously, preferring to argue matters of climate change, racism and gender issues ad nauseam. I hope Peter Dutton is brave enough to announce a clear policy on nuclear power that gives Australians an opportunity to have a say in where the energy that moves our nation will come from and how that energy will be distributed.

Glenda Ellis, Drummoyne, NSW

Ten out of 10 for Peta Credlin’s column in The Australian on Thursday. She offered a comprehensive sketch of the global progress with nuclear energy use, embracing costs, benefits, timing and the maintenance of the beauty and productivity of our countryside, bird life and, of course, with nil emissions. This is a powerful political argument now on offer.

Even though some are not convinced CO2 emissions contribute greatly to climate effects, nuclear use would help preserve our coal reserves for the long-term manufacture of fertilisers and other valuable chemicals.

Gerry Power, Bowral, NSW

Having once declared he would take his lead from Bob Hawke, Anthony Albanese on three important occasions has done the opposite.

He has lacked the understanding evident in Hawke’s prescient words from decades ago: “If the bell tolls for Israel, it won’t just toll for Israel, it will toll for all mankind.”

On the voice referendum, the Prime Minister went against Hawke’s counsel that in Australia there is “no hierarchy of descent; there must be no privilege of origin”.

Albanese’s latest transgression was pulled apart by the informative Peta Credlin, who notes that Hawke, on nuclear power, declared it “would be a win for the environment and an essential part of attacking global warming”. The insult-to-intelligence response from Albanese? “Nuclear energy was fine for others but not for us.”

Mandy Macmillan, Singleton, NSW

Peta Credlin is absolutely correct in her Thursday column. The federal Opposition Leader needs to provide a coherent policy on nuclear power that is practical, a win for the environment and an essential part of attacking global warming.

Of itself that would be insufficient for the Coalition to return to power but, as former prime minister Tony Abbott has shown, a united and invigorated opposition with an attractive program of policies is the best way to dislodge an incumbent government and decisively win power. The Coalition needs to get such a program before the people as soon as it can.

Reliance on a perceived electoral trend, as Jack the Insider observed in his column, will bring nothing but angst to the opposition and disappointment to its supporters. The Australian electorate deserves better.

Ian Dunlop, Hawks Nest, NSW

Britain’s warning

Paul Kelly writes about the stresses in Britain’s political class as the Israeli-Hamas conflict generates shockwaves across Britain (“Britain’s plight over Mid-East conflict a warning to Australia”, 6/3). It does seem there is a great timidity and reluctance to acknowledge that Britain’s crumbling social cohesion is primarily due to it having accepted too many Muslim immigrants who have brought their hatred of Jewish people with them and this hatred has been promulgated from mosques into younger generations.

Evonne Moore, Stepney, SA

Dunkley defeat

Jack the Insider rightly calls last week’s Victorian by-election result for the Liberals for what it was – mediocre (“Nothing to celebrate in Liberals’ mediocre Dunkley result”, 7/3). All the soothing and pasting over won’t change the fact the Liberals lost yet again. What Jack failed to mention, however, was that the Liberal candidate held the number one position on the voting slip. The Labor candidate was at number eight. Big difference. The donkey vote is often referred to as being worth 1-2 per cent, and this alone makes the result much worse for the Liberals. Nothing is going to assist any contest in Victoria while the Victorian division of the Liberal Party fails to understand that the John Pesutto- Moira Deeming issue remains a festering sore.

John Capel, Black Rock, Vic