The Coalition is demanding face to face hearings in communities earmarked to host zero-emissions nuclear power plants as part of the newly established parliamentary committee on nuclear energy.
These communities deserve to be at the centre of this inquiry. They have a proud history of powering the Australian economy and they understand the importance of ‘always on’ 24-7 baseload energy.
Despite Labor stacking the deck of the committee with its own members and a narrowly scoped inquiry, the Coalition will participate in good faith but not without ground rules clearly understood.
Firstly, it is important communities are treated with respect and that means Labor avoiding the temptation to turn committee hearings into a travelling political circus, bringing division and conflict into these regional towns.
Secondly, we need to hear directly from locals in these areas about their needs for the future, their queries, concerns and enthusiasm about a coal-to-nuclear transition as coal retires, as gas continues to run and renewables are rolled out.
Thirdly, there are five key aspects of the Coalition’s nuclear plan on which the committee should seek feedback – local plant establishment, economic, social and environmental impacts, community engagement, regional deals and integrated economic development zones.
1. Establishment of a multi-billion modern nuclear plant: guaranteeing more, higher paying local jobs for generations to come, with an expected asset life of 80 years or more.
2. Economic, social and environmental impact: underpinning the economic and social fabric of the community, with a geographically compact zero-emissions power plant.
3. Community engagement process: providing an open and transparent two-way engagement process over a 2 ½ year period governed under a ‘community partnership’ model.
4. Regional deal including priority infrastructure and public services: unlocking investment in modern transport and community infrastructure, and enhanced public services.
5. Integrated economic development zones: attracting investment in existing and new industry via economic zones offering Australia’s cheapest, cleanest and most consistent energy.
Regional communities have been treated with reckless indifference by the Albanese Government, evidenced by Labor’s deeply flawed two-month community engagement process for offshore wind.
If a regional community is being asked to guarantee Australia’s future energy security by hosting major energy infrastructure, its local residents should be engaged on the ground in a respectful manner.
Notwithstanding the appalling way the Albanese Government established this committee - rejecting a comprehensive terms of reference and a fair balance in committee membership – the Coalition will not vacate the field but rather engage constructively with the process.
This will be an opportunity for some Labor MPs to learn about nuclear energy for the very first time and that’s a good thing, even though they will still follow the anti-nuclear writing instructions dictated by Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen.
The communities earmarked to host zero-emissions nuclear power plants are those surrounding former or existing coal plants: Tarong and Callide in Queensland; Mount Piper and Liddell in New South Wales; Collie in Western Australia; Loy Yang in Victoria; and the Northern power station in South Australia.
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