Notes from Down Under: Nuclear power stations, bomb squad in Melbourne and Giant Panda diplomacy
“I cannot believe we are discussing nuclear power in 2024.”
Happy Friday - you’re reading Notes from Down Under, a weekly newsletter taking a glance at some of the key stories in Australia from the perspective of a British journalist.
Peter Dutton’s plan for nuclear power
Last week, the opposition leader suggested that, if elected, he would scrap the government’s emissions reduction target.
And this week, Peter Dutton is proposing seven nuclear power plants across five states.
“Zero emissions nuclear energy is part of the answer to our energy challenges. It works with renewables and would allow Australia to get to net-zero[sic]. It will keep the lights on 24/7 and keep electricity costs down.”
The stations would all be located on retiring or retired coal sites:
This would include Tarong and Callide in Queensland, Liddell and Mount Piper in New South Wales, Port Augusta in South Australia, Loy Yang in Victoria and Muja in Western Australia.
Some quick reaction: After the announcement, a political journalist murmured to me: “I cannot believe we are discussing nuclear power in 2024.”
There are quite a few holes in Dutton’s proposal (I’ll go into some of those in a moment) but arguably the most obvious one - nuclear power is banned in Australia.
According to the Guardian, the Coalition (formed by the Liberal and National parties aka the opposition) would require the Senate to overturn the federal ban.
In addition, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland all prohibit nuclear power in their state environmental laws. Plus politicians in every state have spoken out against the proposal.
This includes in a slightly awkward moment for Dutton - a member of his own party, Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto, told journalists there are “no plans for nuclear as a state opposition”.
So, how does the policy stand up?
In May, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) released a report on future electricity generation technologies and one of the findings undermines the Coalition’s nuclear station timeline.
Dutton claimed that two plants will be running between 2035 and 2037.
But this is significantly earlier than estimates from CSIRO which noted: “Due to the current state of the development pipeline in Australia, the earliest deployment would be from 2040.”
Also, the opposition leader has not said how much the plan will cost the Australian taxpayer. Dutton’s only indication was that it would be a “fraction of the government's cost but it will be a big bill, there is no question".
The lack of financial clarity didn’t stop Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers from coming out swinging:
It is no surprise that the government criticised the opposition’s proposal but another financial issue has been raised by Crikey.’s politics editor Bernard Keane.
Dutton told journalists on Wednesday: “The Australian government will own these assets, but form partnerships with experienced nuclear companies to build and operate them.”
Keane noted:
“This reduces, but does not remove, one of the key impediments to any nuclear build — that companies will refuse to invest in their construction because of a potential change in government, with a new government restoring a nuclear ban. The Coalition would likely offer onerous break fees as part of any deal with companies interested in building reactors, in order to deter future governments from halting construction.”
With so many holes, why did Dutton announce this?
9News suggested that recent strong poll results for the Coalition prompted the opposition leader to bring the announcement forward instead of making it during next month's parliamentary break.
But, as the Herald Sun points out, seamless development of nuclear power stations has not been seen in other countries, namely the UK’s Hinkley Point C project for a nuclear power station or the US-based venture for a small modular nuclear reactor.
Both experienced delays and their costs overran.
Whether Dutton could break this tradition and carry off the policy remains to be seen but he has quite a few hurdles to overcome before the proposal is workable.
And perhaps that is the point. Given Dutton’s scepticism of green emissions targets last week, this might just be a red-herring policy to appease voters in the run-up to the next federal election due by May 2025.
Man charged after bomb squad called to Melbourne CBD
On Wednesday, police responded to an incident where suspected explosive devices were located on Collins Street in central Melbourne. Some buildings were put on lockdown and trams were diverted.
While I managed to avoid the incident by about an hour, a friend (shout out to Coco) was locked down and managed to get this video:
Victoria Police confirmed they had charged a 33-year-old man with several offences, including:
make/possess explosive substance;
bomb hoax;
traffic drug of dependence;
prohibited person in possession of a firearm, possession of weapons and possession of proceeds of crime;
theft of a motor vehicle.
He was remanded to face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
Animal story of the week:
Last week, I included a sidenote on hopes for “panda diplomacy” during the first visit by China’s Premier Li Qiang to Australia in seven years.
Well, talks did happen and the powers-that-be have announced that Giant Pandas Fu Ni and Wang Wang will be leaving Adelaide Zoo and returning to China. A new pair will arrive at a date which is yet to be announced.
According to the zoo, the South Australian government has agreed to further cooperation with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of the People’s Republic of China on their joint work to promote Giant Panda conservation.
A view from here:
Dearest gentle reader… my friend Emma and I indulged in much food and finery for the release of Bridgerton’s final four episodes of its third series. No regrets.
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Until next week!