Fairfax MP under fire for controversial nuclear power scheme
Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien has been targeted by protesters and unions for his nuclear plan, but he hit back by calling the demonstration a “political stunt”.
Sunshine Coast
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Hundreds of protesters gathered at Coolum Beach on Easter Saturday in a show of public opposition to the LNP’s nuclear power proposal.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, Fairfax voters formed a “No Nuclear” protest sign with their bodies on the beach.
Event spokesman, John Brinnand, said “Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien should understand his constituents don’t want nuclear power”.
Protesters held up signs saying “nuclear fantasy”, “a vote for Ted is a vote for nuclear” and a cardboard cutout of Ted O’Brien wearing a suit emblazoned with “nuclear waste”.
Local community group representatives, environmental groups, visitors, residents and political groups, including Greens candidate Sue Etheridge, independent candidate Francine Wigg and Labor candidate Naomi McQueen, all put aside their differences to demonstrate, calling it grassroots “people power”.
Incumbent Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien is the LNP’s Shadow Energy Minister and a key architect of the party’s nuclear power proposal alongside Peter Dutton and David Littleproud, which has drawn the ire of these protesters and critics.
Mr O’Brien said the protest was a “political stunt that wouldn’t fool Sunshine Coast locals”.
Sunshine Coast University and Flinders University’s Professor Ian Lowe, who lives in Fairfax, has written multiple books on the feasibility of nuclear power and attended the protest against the proposal.
“Nuclear power is just not economically competitive,” said Professor Lowe, adding that he “despaired at the misinformation Ted O’Brien and Peter Dutton are continually telling the public about nuclear power”.
“Nuclear simply doesn’t stack up, economically, environmentally or ethically.”
Mr Brinnand said the key issues for protesters were “one of the seven proposed sites being just 100 kilometres from Coolum as the wind blows” and that nuclear is “too costly, risky and too late and with renewable energy backed with reliable battery storage we simply don’t need it”.
He also questioned how the legislative challenges of overturning the John Howard government’s 1998 ban on nuclear power and Premier David Crisafulli’s recorded statements that he would never overturn Queensland’s nuclear ban would be worked around.
Greg Neave is a retired secondary school science teacher of 35 years who attended the protest out of concern.
He does not consider himself an expert, but considers listening to the experts such as CSIRO over political party messaging extremely important.
“The CSIRO say it’s way too costly and would take too long to come online, so it makes no sense to me,” Mr Neave said.
“I don’t think Dutton and O’Brien understand the science of what they’re proposing.”
The Coalition’s policy has been widely criticised, by both the current federal government, some state governments, opposing candidates and independent scientific bodies such as the CSIRO and Climate Council.
The Climate Council report a low case cost of $775bn, instead of the promised $300bn, after conducting their own investigation, something the Liberal Party denies as accurate.
The CSIRO and Australian Energy Market Operator findings report that nuclear is twice as expensive as renewables.
The Climate Council reported independent analysis by the Institute for Energy, Economic and Financial Analysis that found building nuclear would see Australian households paying $665 more on their electricity bill or up to a $972 increase for a family of four.
The Australia Institute conducted a poll that found fewer that only four per cent of Australians were happy to pay this higher price.
The Coalition has maintained the position that nuclear will decrease household power bills.
Mr Neave is also concerned “there won’t be sufficient water to service nuclear plants in the proposed locations which would make farmers have to fight for water supply alongside the increasing droughts”.
The World Nuclear Association lists a typical 1600 megawatt nuclear facility as using 2,000 litres of water per second, or the daily water use of four households per second.
“I think with all these factors it’s just a really bad idea for nuclear to be introduced into Australia now,” Mr Neave said.
“I have children and grandchildren and I don’t see this as a future for them.”
Mr O’Brien clapped back hard, calling the protesters “political activists” and not “some kind of grassroots community activity”.
“To my mind, representing the local community is about working with local organisations and serving local constituents, not turning our beaches into a platform for political protest over the Easter long-weekend,” Mr O’Brien said.
He said “none of those Labor, Green or Teal protesters were anywhere to be seen” when he was in Coolum attending community events that same day.
“I thought the antinuclear protests of the 1970s were well behind us but it looks like the unholy trinity of Labor, Greens and Teals are working together to create a new protest movement, void of any real solutions to Australia’s energy crisis,” he said.
“I have been open and honest about why I am advocating for a balanced energy mix in Australia – renewables, gas and zero-emissions nuclear energy – and the people deserve intelligent debate on these things not protests.
“Our policy includes zero-emissions nuclear energy in line with the most advanced economies around the world and also major companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Oracle, which are all backing zero emissions nuclear energy to define their future.”
Mr O’Brien has also been under fire from the Electrical Trades Union, who blame the nuclear plan for current and future job losses for their members.
The Union claims the policy the Shadow Energy Minister has created and championed is causing thousands of job losses for electricians and the transmission industry now, with more in the future, both on the Sunshine Coast and across the entire country.
They claim renewables projects from small to large scales, such as the Illawarra wind zone, are being paused and workers deprived of jobs as investors wait to see “which way the wind blows” with the federal election outcome.
The union’s concerns are based off the Clean Energy Generation report by Jobs and Skills Australia, commissioned by the Australian Government, regarding the workforce needs for the current 2030 renewable targets put in place.
In 2023, the report forecast an extra 32,000 electrician jobs nationally in the next five years, with 240,000 workers required in clean energy associated industries.
ETU national secretary Michael Wright said the union’s key concern was nuclear would bring all this modelling back to the planning phase and put those jobs for their members at risk, as investors considered such reports in their energy project proposals.
Mr Wright said insiders within the transmission industry were uncertain as to whether the coalition would roll back the plan if they won office, prompting cautious moves and delays.
“The delay and uncertainty is what puts thousands of jobs and the nation’s energy security at risk.”
Mr O’Brien fired back at the union’s comments, calling them “politically motivated lies” from a “Labor aligned union”.
“This all-eggs-in-one-basket approach which favours electrical jobs over and above all other forms of employment is nonsensical lunacy steeped in ideology,” said Mr O’Brien
“There will continue to be an enormous role in the energy transition for electricians regardless of who wins government because both sides have ambitious plans for renewables and storage,” he said.
“Under our current energy plan solar and wind capacity will grow from around 24,000MW in 2025 to just under 47,000MW in 2051.”
“The Coalition’s energy plan will see the continued rollout of gas, solar, wind and storage and when coal exits the system it will be replaced with zero-emissions nuclear energy by 2035.”
Analysis released by the Institute for Energy, Economic and Financial Analysis found economies comparable to Australia all experienced multi-year delays and cost blowouts of up to three and a half times over budget.
Former Australian Chief Scientist Alan Finkel estimated Australia would need until the mid 2040s at the earliest to build a working nuclear reactor considering the average build time of 9.4 years in countries with established nuclear industries, which Australia lacks as of yet.
Francine Wigg, independent candidate for Fairfax said she believed the community deserves transparency and genuine consultation, “especially on something as significant as the Coalition’s nuclear energy plan, which has been spearheaded by our local MP, Ted O’Brien”.
“Despite his leadership on this proposal, there’s been no engagement with the people of Fairfax, despite a reactor being proposed at Tarong, less than 100km from Kenilworth in our electorate’s west,” Ms Wigg said.
“Australians want affordable, reliable, and clean energy now, not in 20 years.”
Labor candidate for Fairfax, Naomi McQueen said “Peter Dutton’s nuclear scheme will drive up prices and won’t deliver any energy for 20 years”.
“It is not the way forward and Labor does not support it.”
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