It’s time Scott Morrison ‘gears up’ for a political fight on nuclear power
18/02/2021|7min
The Coalition must “force Labor to justify” the ban on nuclear power when Australia exports it across the world especially given it could drastically reduce emissions which the opposition claims “it’s so worried about,” says Peta Credlin. It comes as five Nationals Senators including former ministers Bridget McKenzie and Matt Canavan will move an amendment to legislation which will allow the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to invest in nuclear generators. Nuclear power is banned in Australia after the Howard government introduced a moratorium on the baseload energy source in 1998. “Thanks to the green-left's anti-nuclear paranoia, actual nuclear power is against the law,” Ms Credlin said. The Sky News host said the impediment should be removed because unless it is legally possible, no investor will put up a proposal. “Without a serious investor, the prospect of having emissions-free baseload power will remain, forever, a mirage,” she said. “This is a fight that Scott Morrison should not shirk, and if he's not prepared to have it, he could fast find his relatively benign political prospects quickly turning sour”. Australia accounts for around a third of the world’s uranium reserves while producing 10 per cent of the world’s global production to be exported. “We can mine uranium, and we can export uranium, but we can't use uranium. Just like out coal, and much of our gas too. It doesn't make sense,” Ms Credlin said. “It's past time for the Coalition to force Labor to justify exporting something we produce, but currently can’t use ourselves - especially when that something could drastically reduce the emissions, that Labor says, it's so worried about. “If Labor maintains that we can export uranium but not use it, they're hypocritical. If Labor decides to ban its export as well as its use, they're ridiculous and anti-jobs. “For a Prime Minister gearing up for an election, it doesn't get better than that.”
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