The Opposition Leader has revealed plans for seven nuclear power stations across Australia, including Port Augusta.
There are also plans for two sites in Queensland and New South Wales, and one in Victoria and Western Australia, which Peter Dutton says is central to the Liberals’ vision for Australia’s energy future.
“To deliver cleaner electricity, cheaper electricity, and consistent electricity – this is a plan for our country which will underpin a century of economic growth and jobs for these communities,” the MP says.
The Climate Council has slammed the Coalition’s energy scheme, saying it would delay Australia’s transition to clean energy.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie calls the plan a disaster.
“His climate policy is essentially ‘let it burn – let the megafires burn, let the sea levels rise, let the heat become unbearable’, because his plan is to do nothing, Ms McKenzie says.
“It’s to leave getting off fossil fuels way down the path, and that means vast suffering from these unnatural disasters that we’re seeing more and more of.”
The policy has faced a lot of criticism since its announcement yesterday, 19 June.
“So far, the energy scheme has been smashed by everyone… it would be hugely costly, each of the State Government’s have said that they don’t want to see it go forward… and of course, all of the people interested in climate are saying, ‘Hey, this is a terrible climate scheme because it means you do nothing and the disasters will just keep getting worse’.”
Labor’s Jim Chalmers was quick to respond to the announcement, with a focus on economics.
“If you take all the ideology out of it, and you focus just on the economics of this nuclear fantasy, it costs more, it takes longer, it will push up prices, and it will squander all of the advantages that we have as a country,” Mr Chalmers says.
Port Augusta already plays an important role in the South Australian Government’s ‘Hydrogen Jobs Plan’, which focuses on renewable energy developments and business opportunities in the Iron Triangle.
