Extract from The Guardian
Senate team seeks amendments to Clean Energy Finance Corporation bill to allow investment in nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage.
Last modified on Thu 18 Feb 2021 15.21 AEDT
Anthony Albanese has accused the Coalition of “more chaos” in energy policy, after the Nationals in the Senate announced new amendments to a government bill in favour of nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage.
On Thursday the entire Nationals Senate team led by Bridget McKenzie and Matt Canavan announced they would seek amendments to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation bill to allow it to invest in the two technologies.
It follows an amendment put forward by former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, attempting to allow the CEFC’s grid reliability fund to invest in new coal-fired power plants, which has already been rejected by the deputy Liberal leader, Josh Frydenberg.
Guardian Australia understands the CEFC amendments put forward by Joyce and the Senate Nationals did not go through their party room.
By front-running the debate the Nationals backbench could further destabilise the leadership of Michael McCormack, who Joyce has said must sharpen policy differences with the Liberals to ensure electoral success.
On Thursday McCormack attempted to ride out the division by offering qualified support for the backbenchers’ ideas.
A spokesperson for McCormack said: “It is important that consideration is given to the amendments that have been put forward.
“We have always said a diverse energy mix is needed to ensure the lowest possible power prices for Australian families and businesses.”
Frydenberg said that McCormack had proven a “very resilient” Nationals leader and the Liberals and Nationals had worked “very effectively” as a coalition.
Frydenberg said energy policy was a “complex area” and he had “scars” from his time in the portfolio, in reference to Liberals threatening to cross the floor over Malcolm Turnbull’s national energy guarantee.
“There are lots of different views,” he told reporters. “And the great thing about being a member of parliament is you have an opportunity to air your views.”
The energy minister, Angus Taylor, is yet to say how he will handle the revolt. Although the Liberals are generally opposed to new coal power plants, the nuclear amendment will likely prove more tricky given many Liberal backbenchers have expressed they want the separate ban on nuclear power in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to be lifted.
A survey conducted by the Australian found support for this from 48 Coalition backbenchers, including Liberal MPs Andrew Laming, John Alexander and Gerard Rennick.
McKenzie told reporters in Canberra the Senate team want to be “positive contributors” by putting forward the ideas, and pointed to federal and state conference motions in favour of nuclear power and local branch support when asked if they were official policy.
McKenzie said the deputy prime minister was “well aware” they would present the amendments, and confirmed they’ve also had discussions with Taylor.
McKenzie said “the Nationals party room are – generally – I’m sure if you rung them all [you’d find] they’re very, very keen to make a positive, progressive contribution to the energy and emissions debate”.
The Joyce amendment has received support from some Nationals MPs including Llew O’Brien and George Christensen.
Albanese said that he is “not a supporter of nuclear energy in Australia because it doesn’t stack up.
“There have been numerous reports, occasionally you’ll get opinion pieces … suggesting this, and no serious propositions have ever come forward on it,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“What we’re witnessing here is just a part of the chaos that is the Coalition when it comes to energy policy with their 22 energy policies.”
He noted the CEFC debate had been adjourned, suggesting the government “can’t debate its own legislation because it can’t agree with itself on what should happen”. “It’s more chaos.”
Liberals including Trent Zimmerman, Ted O’Brien and Rowan Ramsey told the Australian although they support lifting the ban on nuclear power they believe the government should not legalise the energy source without bipartisan support.
Canavan told reporters it was important “not to prejudge the views of Australians on these issues”. The former resources minister noted that residents of Kimba in South Australia had voted 60% in favour of a nuclear waste dump in a plebiscite.
“If we can get to that level of support for a waste facility, I don’t think it’s beyond us to – in other communities … find support.”
Canavan said that the population of Gladstone and its local member, Ken O’Dowd, were in favour of nuclear power as a means to sustain local manufacturing.
“I know some Australians won’t support it – and that’s fine too.”
The Australian Conservation Foundation warned parliament against changing the investment rules of the CEFC
ACF campaigner, Dave Sweeney, said “talking up nuclear and new coal-fired power plants is a dangerous distraction from facing up to Australia’s very real energy challenges and choices”.
“There is nothing clean about the fuel behind the Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters, which produces waste that remains radioactive for tens of thousands of years,” he said.
“There is no such thing as clean coal and the CEFC wouldn’t be considered a trusted investment partner if it was expected to invest in this outdated, dirty technology.”
“No country in the world is choosing to set up a nuclear industry from scratch. When it comes to climate action, nuclear power is a dead end.”
Experts including Ziggy Switkowski have warned nuclear power is not realistic in Australia for at least a decade, and that neither large scale nor small modular reactors are likely to deliver a commercial return.
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