Michaelia Cash: Prime Minister’s nucleartwo-way bet

MichaeliaCashThe West Australian

Tue,25 June 2024 2:00AM

Comments

AnthonyAlbanese on nuclear power. Credit: TheNightly

West Australians areway smarter than Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gives them credit for.

Here we are in a placethat is about to become a nuclear State — hosting the AUKUS nuclear submarines.Mr Albanese and Labor have backed AUKUS from the start.

But now Mr Albanesethinks it’s fine for his Labor members of Parliament, including frontbenchers,to indulge in an absolutely juvenile scare campaign about nuclear technology.

A social media post byLabor front bencher Andrew Leigh, depicting cartoon character Blinky Bill withthree eyes, was a disgraceful example of misinformation likely to undermineconfidence in AUKUS. There were plenty of other examples last week includingthree eyed fish.

Labor can’t have itboth ways on nuclear technology particularly here in WA.

They can’t say one formof nuclear technology is fine for WA while trying to demonise almost identicaltechnology.

The Prime Ministershould be showing some leadership and strongly backing the safety of nucleartechnology — anything else is disgraceful misinformation.

Premier Roger Cook didhimself no credit on the weekend by claiming nuclear power wouldn’t work withWA’s grid.

It was all part of Labor’sscare campaign against nuclear energy generation.

Due to the size of theWA grid and the infrastructure characteristics of Collie, only small modularreactors will be considered.

An SMR at the Muja sitewould operate as part of a balanced energy mix for WA’s future grid, alongsiderenewables and gas.

WA’s electricity demandis set to grow and that will require more zero emissions generation.

While zero-emissionsnuclear energy will play an important role in WA’s future grid, so too willrenewables and gas. The priority in the short term is gas and more of it.

Traditional nuclearplants in France have proven their ability to operate flexibly.

Modern plants are evenmore flexible if that is what electricity market design requires. But we needalways-on 24/7 electricity and that’s what zero emissions nuclear energyoffers.

Labor’s rhetoric onnuclear power is a desperate attempt to shut down an important nationalconversation because of their outdated ideological objections to it.

Nuclear is one of thesafest forms of energy generation. It’s roughly on par with solar power, andeven safer than wind and hydro power.

The technology is safeenough for Australian Defence Force personnel who will shortly be operatingnuclear propelled submarines under the AUKUS agreement.

Every Australiandeserves and should expect access to cheaper, cleaner and consistentelectricity. But under Labor, this isn’t happening.

Right now, inhouseholds and businesses around the country, Labor’s expensive renewables-onlyapproach is failing.

The Labor Government isnow talking about a 65 to 75 per cent emissions reduction target by 2035, butwon’t release modelling and won’t tell us how much higher power prices will go.

MICHAELIA CASHArewe better off? Or has Labor been failing West Aussies?

Power bills have already increased by upto $1000 for many Australians, when they were promised a $275 cut. And Labor’sclimate target of 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 has becomeunachievable.

A key advantage ofmodern zero emissions nuclear plants is they can be plugged into existinggrids.

This means they caneffectively replace retired or retiring coal plants and avoid much of the newspending needed for Labor’s renewables only system, including new transmissionpoles and wires, which will be passed on in the form of higher bills.

Labor will impose 58million solar panels, 3500 new industrial wind turbines and up to 28,000km ofnew transmission lines across the country.

Energy experts warn thecost of Labor’s rollout will be between $1.2 trillion and $1.5 trillion.

No country in the worldrelies solely on solar and wind as Labor is proposing. By contrast, there are32 countries operating zero-emissions nuclear plants and another 50 countriesare looking to do so.

Of the world’s 20largest economies, Australia is the only one not using nuclear energy, ormoving towards using it.

Our plan will deliver anet zero electricity grid by 2050 and a strong and resilient economy. It willset up our country for decades to come.

At the front of thisnext wave of growth will be those communities which host zero-emissions nuclearplants, including Collie here in WA.

Not only will localcommunities benefit from high paying, multi-generational jobs but communitieswill be empowered to maximise the benefits from hosting an asset of nationalimportance.

This will includebecoming an integrated economic development zone to attract manufacturing,value-add and high-tech industry and a regional deal unlocking investment inmodern infrastructure, services and community priorities.

A community partnershipwill be formed in each host community, consisting of experienced localrepresentatives, as the focal point for community engagement and to play animportant role in planning the future of the region.

As Peter Dutton hassaid the Coalition will not sign up to an arrangement where unachievableemissions targets and a reckless renewables only roll out destroys our economy,makes businesses go broke, and sends families bankrupt.

Across the economy — inevery aspect of production, in the supply of all goods and services — higherenergy costs mean Australians are paying more for everything.

I’m proud to stand withPeter Dutton and the rest of the Coalition offering our nation a true long termvision, real leadership and a way out of this nation’s cost of living crisis.

Michaelia Cash is a Liberal Senator forWA.