Nationals vow to take nuclear power to next election, to protect “food security”

The Nationals are vowing to introduce nuclear power to Australia’s energy mix, promising to take the policy to the next election after it contributed to a split in the coalition.

Nationals leader David Littleproud explained to party faithful on Saturday what led to his party’s week-long decoupling from the Liberals following the May federal election rout.

Coalition practice after an election meant policies taken to the campaign would remain and only be dumped by exception, he told the Liberal National Party annual convention in Brisbane.

“(Liberal leader) Sussan (Ley) wanted to take that away and I respected that and tried to work with it,” he said.

“But there were four key policy areas that were hard fought and so important to the people that National Party members and senators represent.”

Those included nuclear power, a Regional Australia Future Fund, supermarket break-up powers and better regional mobile coverage.

Mr Littleproud said his party had fought for a “technology-agnostic” approach to energy, which included nuclear, as he railed against regional Australia becoming littered with transmission lines, solar panels and wind turbines.

“We have to have, as part of our energy mix, nuclear in that mix. It was something that we believe in passionately because we see the consequences,” he said.

“It’s your food security that’s being ripped up. It’s the native environment that’s been ripped up.

“There is a sensible way to fix it and that’s what we’re going to take to the next election.”

The party is pursuing a $20 billion Regional Australia Future Fund to help with childcare accessibility, train and retain regional doctors and provide support for local councils.

“It’s just a small portion of the $350 billion worth of exports that come from regional Australia,” the leader said. 

Mr Littleproud wants a universal service obligation for regular mobile phone tower maintenance in the bush, accusing telcos of abandoning the regions and leaving people cut off. 

He also pushed for powers to break up supermarket giants if they misuse their market power to be kept, saying they have “gouged prices”.

“When you have market dominance, the only time government should interfere is when market power is overtaken by a few,” he said.

Mr Littleproud previously told AAP Nationals members were proud they stood for their principles when the parties briefly split and he was grateful the Liberal Party reconvened and met all their demands.

“It was a challenging time. It was done with no malice … but it was about making sure we laid the foundations of a future coalition,” he said on Saturday.

Nuclear power and energy alternatives dominated discussions at the convention’s opening day on Friday, following the near-unanimous passing of a resolution to abandon net zero by 2050.

The resolution was not binding on the parliamentary party but Friday’s result should prompt healthy debate in Canberra, Queensland Senator Matt Canavan said.

Australia has committed to net zero under the Paris Agreement that came into force in 2016.

India has a net zero by 2070 target, China by 2060 and the US had a 2050 target under the Biden administration but climate action has been largely scrapped under President Donald Trump.

The 2025 LNP convention will hear some 163 resolutions in open sessions over the convention’s three days, with Queensland Premier David Crisafulli to take centre stage on Sunday.

Former opposition leader Peter Dutton made a surprise appearance on Friday, earning standing ovations and praise from his successor Sussan Ley and outgoing LNP president Lawrence Springborg.