Antinuclear

Could the nuclear waste issue be the finish for South Australia’s Premier Jay Weatherill?

Power to the people may mean pulling plug on Jay   Premier Jay Weatherill must pull off complex balancing act on SA’s energy infrastructure  Daniel Wills, The Advertiser,October 14, 2016 PREMIER Jay Weatherill is strangely now both a hero and villain of the environmental movement.

Jobs have long been the biggest issue in SA politics, and will undeniably dominate the campaign in 18 months’ time. It’s a sign of how desperate the situation in SA has become that beating Tasmania back into last place on the unemployment ladder is now a cause for muted celebration.

We also wait to see what future, if any, Whyalla has and the full impact of Holden’s closure.

But leaping up into the top strata of vote-changing issues, which includes the State Government’s overhaul of the health system, are two divisive topics that evoke powerful emotions……….

An Advertiser-Galaxy poll on the blackout published on Monday showed only 16 per cent of people supported dialling back renewables in favour of coal and gas generation……..Voters seem to want something existing technologies don’t offer – carbon-free renewable energy that is cheap and reliable……..

In two Saturdays’ time, Mr Weatherill will head to a Labor Party state convention where the prospect of the state taking high-level nuclear waste for cash will be a flashpoint.

Already, Labor MP Steph Key is speaking out against any change to the party platform. Stakeholders such as SA Unions are expressing grave doubts about the business model…….

The numerical dominance of Labor’s Right faction, plus hesitant support in elements of Mr Weatherill’s Left, makes it likely his nuclear position will survive………

The same people cheering speech lines about wind farms may roll their eyes at nuclear. And vice-versa. This is the core and complex balancing act Mr Weatherill must pull off in the bid for a fifth term – holding a coalition of diverse and often opposed interests to win the day.

It’s not about being all things to all people. It’s about being just enough to just enough.http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/daniel-wills-premier-jay-weatherill-must-pull-off-complex-balancing-act-on-sas-energy-infrastructure/news-story/69403007930c182f4d0f679491a3eee9

October 15, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, South Australia