Six weeks out from the Victorian election, it’s unclear where the Victorian Liberals stand on nuclear power – and the party’s main election policy document doesn’t mention it.
The National Account asked Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson’s office for some clarity on the Victorian Liberals’ position on nuclear power but heard no response.
If the Coalition is forced to work with One Nation after the November election, a party that has been loudly pro-nuclear, what could happen?
☢️ One Nation’s pledge: One Nation has promised to scrap Victoria’s ban on nuclear power if it wins government.
That wouldn’t be enough to build a reactor, because nuclear power is also banned under federal law, something parliament would have to repeal.
⚡ The federal push: Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan’s energy plan would lift the national ban, and the Coalition has urged states to reconsider their own.
Not every Liberal state leader is on board. When asked at the Australian’s Energy Nation Forum in September whether he’d back lifting the nuclear ban, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said: “Until you get both sides of federal parliament to agree, no one’s going to invest in it.”
💸 The cost and the wait: The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) says it would take at least 15 years after the bans are lifted before a nuclear plant could generate power in Australia, and expects the first reactors to carry a cost premium of up to 120 percent.
Australia also has no permanent place to store its radioactive waste.
The National Account sent Wilson’s office questions about the Coalition’s position on nuclear energy, including whether she agrees with Crisafulli. Her office didn’t respond by deadline.
Watch the National Account’s Archie Milligan below: