It's time to dump nuclear
Join Liberals Against Nuclear in standing against an anti-Liberal policy which opposes our core values and takes us further from majority government
Liberal values betrayed by Nuclear
The current proposal to build nuclear power in Australia fundamentally contradicts core Liberal values of lower debt, smaller government, free markets, and less government intervention. Now more than ever, we need to show the electorate we stick to our values.
1. The free market
The private market has made clear they won’t invest in building Australian nuclear reactors and they won’t insure it. This market rejection speaks volumes.
To be commercially competitive, nuclear power in Australia will require unprecedented market intervention and taxpayer guarantees, betraying our commitment to free markets and limited government. Big market intervention is a socialist value.
2. Subsidies
Nuclear power has never been built anywhere in the world without massive government subsidies.
As true fiscal liberals, we cannot support such an economically unviable energy source, which is expected to cost 331 billion over 25 years. We cannot be a party of subsidies. Subsidies are a policy one would expect from socialists.
3. Small government and less public servants
Nuclear energy will require a massive new government agency, massive regulation, adding unelected bureaucrats and tens of thousands of public servants to the government payroll.
Labor and the Greens typically propose big new regulation and government agencies. Liberal and National branch members are smart enough to know this policy actually grows the public service substantially, even if some cuts to the public service are announced in other places.
4. Debt and deficit
Every cent wasted on building government-owned nuclear will drive up our national debt by using taxpayer dollars to build energy generation when we can let the market pick the winner and use its own capital.
Borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars to have government achieve an aim which the private sector would pay for and profit (and the government-owned asset will now compete against private business) is a policy typical of a socialist party.
5. Safety and security
The recent attempted terror attack at Chernobyl, when a drone loaded with explosives was flown onto the site, illustrates that reactors are targets especially when waste is stored onsite as would occur here (exploded waste would render a radius of at least tens of kilometres uninhabitable for 100,000 years).
An oped by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute pointed out the “Opposition’s nuclear policy would increase defence risk”, because centralising power generation makes us more vulnerable to attacks including from China. Other parties have sometimes chosen to make Australia less safe in order to pursue their ideologies.
We are a party which puts being practical above ideology and that keeps our citizens safe and secure.
NUCLEAR IS TOO TOXIC TO TAKE TO THE NEXT ELECTION.
It’s time for Mr Dutton to dump nuclear and focus on winning this election on genuine liberal values.
Join us in calling on the Liberal Party leadership to drop this electoral liability and return to policies that will help us win.
