Coalition power plan “nuked” at poll: climate groups

Labor’s landslide election victory shows Australians have overwhelmingly rejected the coalition’s nuclear energy plan, climate action groups say.

Labor on Saturday night stormed to victory, winning a swathe of seats across multiple states and unseating Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in his own electorate.

The coalition’s nuclear plan proposed to build seven reactors across Australia with the first of these not operational until 2035 at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars.

Mr Dutton has said it would help reduce carbon emissions and deliver lower cost electricity and gas, and reliable energy.

But climate action groups on Sunday said the election result confirmed Australians’ opposition to nuclear power.

Australian voters had resoundingly rejected Peter Dutton and his nuclear plan, Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said.

“This was an energy referendum. Nuclear bombed at the ballot, with Australians dubbing it toxic,” Ms McKenzie said in a statement.

Mr Dutton not only “nuked” his party’s chances of winning with pro-pollution policies but the nuclear fantasy cost him his own seat, she said.

Voters emphatically backed clean energy over coal, gas and nuclear, said Australian Conservation Foundation CEO Kelly O’Shanassy, with nuclear now “off the table”.

“That door is not just closed, it is welded shut.”

The Clean Energy Council said the election result was a vote of confidence by Australians in a clean energy future.

“The Australian people have reconfirmed their strong support for wind and solar backed by batteries, pumped hydro and a small amount of gas,” CEO Kane Thornton said.

Mr Dutton’s “dangerous and expensive” nuclear plan was a “complete policy fail”, said Glenn Walker of Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

The coalition policy was just a smokescreen to prolong the use of coal and gas in the energy system, he said.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said he didn’t think the nuclear plan was the reason the coalition lost.

“I think it was a schmick campaign by Labor destroying Peter Dutton,” he told Sky News on Sunday.

“I think many people were more interested about the cost-of-living crisis. That’s why we talked a lot about gas.”

The coalition would work through its policy positions and make sure they were fit for purpose and the future, Mr Littleproud said.

Source: AAP