Albanese puts nuclear power to the test at Tasmanian election

Anthony Albanese has put the Coalition’s plans for nuclear energy to the test at the Tasmanian election, as Peter Dutton warned it was the only way to achieve reliable and affordable power.

Tasmanian Labor Leader Rebecca White and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture: Rob Burnett

Anthony Albanese has injected the Coalition’s plans for nuclear energy into the heart of the Tasmanian election, arguing the state had shown “renewable energy is the answer”, while warning Peter Dutton would “build nuclear reactors all over Australia”.

At the Labor campaign launch in Launceston, the Prime Minister said: “Labor is the party of the light on the hill – the Liberals want Australia to glow in the dark.

“For decades, Tasmania has shown Australia that renewable energy is the answer.

“Not some far-off dream – a concrete, reliable and affordable reality. And our government is investing in new jobs and new projects – like green hydrogen in Bell Bay and community batteries in Howrah and Shorewell Park.”

Mr Albanese said the Liberals’ “nuclear fantasy” was “an excuse for doing nothing” and an “alibi for inaction – a new stage of denial”.

“In fact, nuclear power is a lot like the Liberal Party. No help to anyone today, completely wrong for Australia’s future – and notorious for waste that takes forever to clean up,” he said.

Mr Albanese said state Labor Opposition Leader Rebecca White would make cost of living her top priority as premier if she won the March 23 election, and Labor would spend the next 12 days talking about its plans for jobs, housing, skills and services.

“That’s how Labor can win, and will win, this election,” he said.

The attack on Mr Dutton’s decision to embrace nuclear power comes ahead of his speech to the Australian Financial Review business summit on Tuesday in which he will accuse Labor of overseeing an energy policy that had inflicted “such a magnitude of economic self-harm that we are seeing the early stages of deindustrialisation”. Mr Dutton will say Australia can reduce its emissions, achieve a reliable electricity grid and more affordable power prices.

“But only with the right energy policy – only if Australia becomes a nuclear-powered nation. Labor sees nuclear power as a competitor to renewables,” he will say. “The Coalition sees nuclear power as a companion to renewables.

“Australia’s energy mix is about 21 per cent gas, 47 per cent coal, and 32 per cent renewables. Ontario province in Canada is about 5 per cent gas, 35 per cent renewables, and 60 per cent nuclear. South Korea is about 30 per cent gas, 30 per cent coal, and 30 per cent nuclear – with the balance mainly hydro … Australians pay almost double what Ontario and South Korea residents pay.”

Mr Dutton will say there are more than 400 nuclear reactors operating across the world and Australia would not be starting a nuclear industry from scratch.

“The Lucas Heights nuclear reactor has been running for 66 years. Australia is already making inroads under AUKUS. Labor’s position is illogical, inconsistent and incoherent,” he will say.

Mr Dutton will also say Australia is the only country in the top 20 economies “which hasn’t embraced domestic nuclear power or is taking steps to do so”.