‘They know it’s safe’: Peter Dutton explains his Australian-made nuclear plan

In an exclusive sit-down interview with The Daily Telegraph’s DTTV, Peter Dutton explains how he selected seven sites, when we could see the first plant, and how he will overcome opposition from the states | WATCH

Opposition leader Peter Dutton believes it will take up to 13 years for Australia to have the first nuclear power in Australia, but insists his plan “underpins eight to nine decades of jobs and economic activity.”

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph’s DTTV, Mr Dutton said he had selected seven sites on existing coal plants, which will be built by taxpayers and remain as Government assets.

“We would utilise expertise from companies that have built these reactors around the world,” he said.

“But it’s going to be owned by the Government. We don’t want private ownership. This will be a significant national asset for us that will grow in value over time.”

On fears about nuclear waste, Mr Dutton said: “As it operates elsewhere, the waste, which is minuscule in the scheme of things when you think about how much energy is produced, it’s stored on site. That’s what happens at Lucas Heights.”

Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton at a joint press conference with Angus Taylor, Susan Ley, David Littleproud and Ted O’Brien on Wednesday. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

“When the Labor Party signed up to AUKUS for the submarines, they agreed that part of that deal required Australia to take that waste off the submarines, and the reactors at end of life and dispose of them here in Australia.”

With the federal election next year, and both state and national bans on nuclear power, Mr Dutton predicted the first two reactors could be up and running “by 2035 … 2037.”

Peter Dutton addressing media on his plans for nuclear power on Wednesday. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

In response to NSW Premier Chris Minns saying nuclear “costs a lot of money” and “takes a lot of time and we don’t have a day to wait”, Mr Dutton said: “We can work with the states.”

“As Paul Keating famously said: ‘don’t stand between a Premier and a bucket of money’,” he said.

“They are pretty malleable. I had a different position from most of the Premiers in relation to The Voice. I was opposed to The Voice and most of them were in favour. And in the end, they understood the will of the Australian people.”

Asked about the possible backlash from locals around the seven proposed nuclear sites, Mr Dutton said: “When you go into these (coal mining) communities, there’s a higher energy IQ than what there is if you live in the CBD”

“These are families who have worked around the mining sector and coal plants for literally generations,” he said.

“They know that it’s safe. If it wasn’t safe, why would the Prime Minister sign up to having our sailors sleeping on a submarine with the reactor next door to them?”

Mr Dutton was unable to specify the cost of each individual reactor, saying he would “provide all that costing detail” at a later date.

Originally published as ‘They know it’s safe’: Peter Dutton explains his Australian-made nuclear plan