Federal budget 2023: We need nuclear and gas power: Peter Dutton’s reply

Peter Dutton has put nuclear power and gas at the heart of the Coalition’s future energy blueprint in a direct challenge to Labor.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton delivers his budget reply on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Peter Dutton has put nuclear power and gas at the heart of the Coalition’s future energy blueprint, in a direct challenge to Labor’s climate change policy, and will wave through the ­majority of Jim Chalmers’ $14.6bn cost-of-living package.

In his second budget reply speech, the Opposition Leader promised to abolish new Labor taxes and provide more support for middle Australia’s “working poor”, farmers and businesses struggling with soaring mortgage repayments, record energy ­prices and grocery bills.

New Coalition policies ­included: banning sports betting advertising during the broadcast of games, from an hour before to an hour after; doubling the size of the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation; and increasing the number of Medicare-­subsidised psychological sessions from 10 to 20.

Mr Dutton said the Coalition supported the government’s $3.5bn expansion of Medicare bulk billing, $2.7bn Commonwealth Rent Assistance boost, $11.3bn wages hike for aged-care workers, cheaper medicines, and higher welfare payments for over-55s and single parents.

While the Coalition is expected to back the blanket $40-a-fortnight increase to the JobSeeker rate for unemployed Australians, Mr Dutton wants stronger ­incentives to get people into work, including a permanent increase to the income-free threshold allowing Australians “to earn more before their payment is increased”. He backed “sustainable funding” in the National Disability ­Insurance Scheme but demanded more details from the government on how it would slash NDIS spending growth.

Following the closure of the Liddell coal-fired power station and rising concerns over blackouts and gas shortages, Mr Dutton declared that in the 21st century “any sensible government must consider small ­modular nuclear as part of the ­energy mix”. The Liberal leader warned that Labor’s climate change plan was putting Australia “on the wrong energy path”, ­driving up electricity and grocery bills for households, and threatening to shut down or force businesses offshore.

“We want to see emissions go down,” Mr Dutton said. “Next-generation, small modular ­nuclear technologies are safe, ­reliable, cost-effective, can be plugged into existing grids where we have turned off coal, and emit zero emissions.”

Mr Dutton rebuked Labor – led by longtime anti-nuclear ­advocate Anthony Albanese – for being “happy” to embrace AUKUS nuclear submarines while refusing to “consider the benefits of onshore small and micro modular reactors”.

Amid rising concerns from Japan, Korea and other energy partners over Labor’s crackdown on LNG exporters, Mr Dutton ­accused the government of ­“undermining gas at every turn”.

“With the government against coal and nuclear, gas remains the only viable firming power,” he said.

Pledging to pump more gas into the energy system if elected in 2025, Mr Dutton said the government was seeking to force households and businesses to electrify “despite the exorbitant cost for families”.

Under pressure to unveil a bigger policy platform following the historic Aston by-election defeat and plunging voter support in the polls, Mr Dutton held back major economic and social policy announcements. But he warned that the “bombardment of betting ads” was taking the joy out of sporting games and “changing the culture of our country in a bad way” while “normalising gambling at a young age”. “Tonight I announce that a Coalition government will move to ban sports betting advertising during the broadcasting of games,” he said.

On women’s health, Mr Dutton committed $9m to Ovarian Cancer Australia and a review into female-specific health items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule and treatments on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. He backed Labor’s additional funding in women’s safety and the implementation of the national plan to end violence against women and children.

Mr Dutton reaffirmed existing Coalition policies, including reinstating the cashless welfare card, restoring the tax cap of 23.9 per cent and allowing Australians to use their super to buy their first home. In his speech, he attacked the Albanese government’s “big Australia approach which will make the cost-of-­living crisis and inflation worse”. He said a Coalition government would manage migration in conjunction with proper infrastructure planning”.

After 11 rate hikes in the past year and amid warnings from economists that Labor’s big spending budget could keep rates higher for longer, Mr Dutton said the Coalition was focused on ensuring “that our hardworking middle class do not become Labor’s working poor”.

“The Treasurer’s cost-of-­living relief is only temporary … (It) is targeted at Australians on welfare but at the expense of the many including Labor’s working poor,” he said.

With the government struggling to return JobSeeker and Youth Allowance (other) recipient numbers below pre-­pandemic levels, Mr Dutton said “the best way to ensure Australians are getting ahead will always be a job”.

“There are over 840,000 Jobseeker recipients of which more than 75 per cent had no reported earnings – that is, no part-time work – which is why the Coalition is proposing a permanent increase to the income free threshold, meaning people will earn more before their welfare payment is increased,” he said.

The Queensland MP said the Coalition would abolish Labor’s $153m “tax” on farmers and establish an importer container levy to protect the agriculture sector from being “punished for the biosecurity risk others pose”.

He said the government’s tax changes on superannuation accounts with balances above $3m were an “attack on Australians who have worked hard and saved to support themselves and their families”.

A final decision on the $2.4bn petroleum resource rent tax hike on gas companies would be made by the Coalition party room, but The Australian understands the opposition will not ­oppose the budget measure.