Subjects: Labor’s energy crisis; nuclear energy; Dunkley by-election.
E&OE.
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton joins us now. Good morning to you.
PETER DUTTON:
‘Morning, Shirvo.
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
Well, how big are these going to be, they’re not the modular ones, are they? And how much are they going to cost?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Shirvo, the first point is that we want to get energy prices lower. At the moment, people know that their bills are just going up and up, and there’s also an increasing risk of blackouts and brownouts. Every analyst at the moment is really concerned about that. So, as we go from coal to a new system, we need to make sure that we can firm up the renewables that are in the system. We know that at the G20 nations, Australia is the only nation that doesn’t have or hasn’t agreed to adopt nuclear power domestically, because it’s zero emissions and the latest technology means that you can switch off old coal assets and start with a firming capacity that means that we can have cheaper prices, it means that we can have reliable energy, it means that we can keep the Australian jobs because, at the moment, manufacturing is going offshore because they simply can’t afford to stay here.
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
So, where are they going to be built? I can’t think of a country town or a neighbourhood that would want this in their backyards. Will you tell us before the election?
PETER DUTTON:
Yeah, Shirvo, we’ll be releasing detail shortly in relation to our plan. But as I say, if there’s a retiring coal asset, so there’s a coal fired generator that’s already got an existing distribution network, the wires and poles are already there to distribute the energy across the network into homes and businesses, that’s really what we’re interested in. I think if you do that, it means that you don’t have to adopt the Government’s policy, which is to build 28,000km of new poles and wires, including through national parks and across pristine farming land. There’s already the ability to distribute with the existing network. That is a much smarter play. When you look at people like Bill Gates and others who really pushed hard for these sort of outcomes, it means that you get the highest yield of energy off the lowest environmental footprint, and it’s zero emissions.
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
The only problem for Australia is that we’re starting from ground zero, really, aren’t we? Why didn’t you – when you were in Government for 11 years – get the ball rolling on nuclear?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, nuclear has been spoken about back to Bob Hawke’s day. I mean, Bob Hawke was very strongly in favour of nuclear, as is John Howard, and most analysts now look at what’s happening in other countries, and the small modular reactors, for example, is a new technology. It doesn’t resemble anything that you’ve seen in the past. It’s like comparing a motor vehicle you’re driving off the showroom floor today in 2024, compared to something in 1954. So, the technology is unbelievable compared to what it was 50 or 70 years ago. It’s why there’s, I think there’s been public embrace of the decision that we as a Government made – and the then Opposition Mr Albanese supported – on the AUKUS submarine deal. It’s, in the end, supported by a lot of younger people because they’re well read and they know that it’s zero emissions and it can firm up renewables in the system. The Government’s got sort of a wing and a prayer at the moment where they think if we have 100 per cent renewables in the system, the costs will go down, or there can be reliability. Neither of those things will happen, in fact, the opposite.
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
I think most people want an option, don’t they? They want to know that there’s an alternative energy solution out there that will cost them less at the end of the day. But as we head to an election, will you be completely upfront about where they’re going to be? Because no one really wants it in their own backyard?
PETER DUTTON:
We’ll be very upfront about every detail of the plan, including location. I think it’s a very important part…
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
…Will you name Suburbs? Like where they’re actually going to go?
PETER DUTTON:
…yeah, well, if you’ve got a coal fired power generator in your suburb now, then, that is the case in a few areas in the country. It’s not in any suburb, it’s not by any beach. Forget all the scare campaign, it’s just juvenile nonsense. Some of the smartest minds in the world have picked up what is a revolution within energy, and the new system’s just not ready. The difficulty is that the Government wants to switch off the old system before the new one’s ready, and that’s why your power price is going through the roof. But if you think it’s bad already, and it’s gone up by almost 30 per cent in the last 18 months, over the next five and ten years, the power prices are going to go up dramatically beyond that, and the Prime Minister doesn’t have any answer for families who are really struggling with that cost of living pressure at the moment.
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
Yeah. No one wants that. I mean, no one wants the energy bills to keep going up, do they? Let’s talk about Dunkley – the by-election there. You lost, but were you partly happy with the result?
PETER DUTTON:
Yeah look, Shirvo. We had a great candidate in Nathan Conroy. A first term Government hasn’t lost a by-election in 90 years, and the average swing is about 1.5 per cent against a first term Government, and in Victoria, it’s 0.7 of 1 per cent. So, we had 4 per cent, which is a pretty remarkable outcome. Everyone was excited about first both results coming in, but that was never realistic, and we knew that. There was no polling that ever indicated it would be much more than that, and as I’ve said in the last few weeks, a 3 to 4 per cent swing against the Government would be double the average. I think we’re pretty happy with where we are and a lot of work to do. The sad part of the Dunkley outcome is that it says that a lot of families were sending a message to the Prime Minister that they just can’t afford to pay their bills under this Government. Not just power prices, gas prices are up by 29 per cent, people know they’re being smashed when you go to the supermarket, petrol’s up, insurance bills are up. A lot of families are really struggling at the moment, and I guess that’s the most important point to make.
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
Yep. Everyone’s feeling it. Peter Dutton, thanks for your time.
PETER DUTTON:
Thanks, Shirvo.
[ends]