Antinuclear

Australian news, and some related international items

Bob Carr says Aukus a ‘colossal surrender of sovereignty’ if submarines do not arrive under Australian control

Former foreign minister says it is ‘inevitable’ US won’t supply nuclear-powered submarines under Aukus.

Guardian, Ben Doherty, 20 Mar 25

Australia faces a “colossal surrender of sovereignty” if promised US nuclear-powered submarines do not arrive under Australian control, former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr has said, arguing the US is “utterly not a reliable ally” to Australia.

“It’s inevitable we’re not getting them,” Carr told the Guardian, ahead of the release of a report from Australians for War Powers Reform that argues the multibillion-dollar Aukus deal had been imposed upon Australia without sufficient public or parliamentary scrutiny.

“The evidence is mounting that we’re not going to get Virginia-class subs from the United States,” Carr said, “for the simple reason they’re not building enough for their own needs and will not, in the early 2030s, be peeling off subs from their own navy to sell to us.”

Under “pillar one” of the planned Aukus arrangement, it is proposed the US would sell Australia between three and five of its Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines in the early 2030s before the Aukus-class submarines were built, first in the UK, then in Australia

However, the US has already forecast it might not have capacity to spare any of its Virginia-class boats, the Congressional Research Service instead floating a proposal in which: “instead of … them being sold to Australia, these additional boats would instead be retained in US Navy service and operated out of Australia”.

Carr said that alternative would leave Australia without Australian-flagged submarines and no control of when, and to where, those boats were deployed.

“It involves the total loss of any sovereign submarine capacity and, more than that, a colossal surrender of Australian sovereignty in general.”

Australia, Carr said, needed to look past the “cheerful flag-waving propaganda” of the proclaimed Aukus deal, saying the alternative likely to be presented by the US would leave Australia “totally integrated in American defence planning and we’ll be hosting even more potential nuclear targets”.

Australians for War Powers Reform, a group that advocates for parliamentary oversight of the decision to send Australian troops to war, launched a report on Thursday morning arguing that the Aukus deal – signed by the Morrison government in 2021 and adopted by its Albanese-led successor – had been instituted without any public or parliamentary scrutiny.

“The public and the national parliament have been kept in the dark every step of the way,” the report argues.

“The Aukus pact has become a textbook example of how to disenfranchise the community, providing almost no transparency or democracy in a sweeping decision which will affect Australia for decades.”

Aukus and the Surrender of Transparency, Accountability, Sovereignty argues the multi-decade, multibillion-dollar Aukus deal was presented to the Australian public without any discussion, consultation, and without parliamentary debate. The current forecast cost of “pillar one” of Aukus – to buy US Virginia-class submarines and build Aukus subs – is $368bn to the 2050s.

The report raises concerns over vague “political commitments” offered by Australia in exchange for the Aukus deal, as well as practical concerns such as where and how nuclear waste would be stored in Australia.

“Aukus has no legitimate social licence because the public has been shut out of the process, and as a result, scepticism and cynicism have increased.”

Dr Alison Broinowski, AWPR committee member and a former Australian diplomat, said Australia’s agreement to the Aukus deal was manifestation of a structural flaw in Australia’s democracy, where decisions to go to war, or to make consequential defence decisions, were not subject to parliamentary scrutiny or public debate.

Broinowski said Aukus was acutely significant because of its size and potential consequence “and yet the same failure to be frank with the people characterises every government this country has had, during every war there’s been”.

She argued Australia had no control over Aukus. “We don’t know what Trump’s going to do and we have no control over what he does. And so we’re left hoping for the best, fearing the worst and with absolutely no way of controlling or influencing what happens, unless we first get ourselves out of Aukus.”……………………………….more https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/19/bob-carr-aukus-submarine-deal-us-australia-relationship

March 19, 2025 Posted by | politics | Leave a comment

Investors take aim at Coalition as nuclear debate hits boiling point

The Age, By Nick Toscano, March 19, 2025

Major investors have clashed with the Coalition ahead of the federal election, warning that slowing the rollout of renewable energy will push up electricity bills by increasing the need to call on failure-prone coal plants and expensive gas-fired generators.

Debate about Australia’s clean energy shift has been thrust to centre stage as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton campaigns to limit renewables to 54 per cent of the electricity grid and build a fleet of government-owned nuclear generators across the mainland.

If it wins the election, the Coalition would roll back Labor’s 2030 climate commitments, including its target for renewables to make up 82 per cent of the grid by 2030, which experts believe is unlikely to be met.

However, in a significant intervention, a group of large investors including US asset giant BlackRock, France’s Neoen, Australia’s Macquarie Bank and the Andrew Forrest-backed Squadron Energy has ramped up its push against policies that would restrict the expansion of wind and solar and keep the grid heavily tied to fossil fuels for longer.

“Australia needs more renewables, not less, to achieve sustained power price reductions,” said the Clean Energy Investor Group, which represents 18 global and local investors with a portfolio value of $38 billion across Australian renewable projects.

Households have been hit with double-digit power bill increases since 2022, the year that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unleashed a global energy crunch. Another power price rise, partly due to recent stretches of low wind and rain limiting renewables’ output, is set to take effect in Queensland, NSW and South Australia from July this year.

But bills would be up to $417 a year higher if not for renewable energy and batteries, the investor group’s analysis shows, as utilities would be forced to more frequently fire up their gas-powered generators, which are among the most expensive suppliers to the grid.

Separate industry modelling released last week by the Clean Energy Council suggests the Coalition’s push to limit renewables would require at least a three-fold increase in gas-powered electricity costs by 2030.

Investors have also expressed concern at the Coalition’s proposal to extend the lives of ageing coal-fired power stations beyond their closure dates in the 2030s and 2040s until nuclear plants were ready to replace them, which could raise risks of sudden breakdowns, power shortages and price spikes.

“Running a grid using fossil fuels rather than renewables would increase total system costs, weaken energy security, and place greater strain on ageing coal and gas infrastructure,” the investor group said………………………………..more https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/investors-take-aim-at-coalition-as-nuclear-debate-hits-boiling-point-20250318-p5lkg8.html

March 19, 2025 Posted by | business | Leave a comment

Australian nuclear news 18 -24 March

​Headlines as they come in:

March 19, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nuclear policy blocking Liberal gains

Liberals Against Nuclear, 19 Mar 25

A Redbridge poll released today confirms what Liberals Against Nuclear has been warning about: the Coalition’s nuclear energy position is actively preventing its path to an election win.

New RedBridge polling puts Labor ahead 51-49 on two-party preferred terms. The data reveals that despite the Coalition’s leadership’saggressive pro-nuclear campaign, voters aren’t buying it. Those believing nuclear energy is unsafe rising from 35% to 39% over the past year. Only 38% of voters believe nuclear would reduce power prices – barely moving from 37% a year ago

“The nuclear power policy is the single biggest roadblock preventing the Liberals from winning government,” said Andrew Gregson, spokesperson for Liberals Against Nuclear. “The Liberal Party’s nuclear fixation is alienating the very voters we need to win back.

“The numbers don’t lie. This policy betrays core liberal principles by requiring tens of billions in government borrowing, expanding bureaucracy, and imposing massive taxpayer-backed risk. It’s driving free-market centrist voters directly to the Teals and independents in must-win seats.”

RedBridge director Tony Barry, a former Coalition strategist, is quoted in today’s News Corp papers emphasizing that “the Coalition needs to return to its key equities of economic management.”

The data confirms the coming election will likely be decided by preferences, with both major parties struggling to reach the 76 seats needed for majority government. This makes winning middle-ground voters crucial – exactly the demographic being alienated by the nuclear position.

“We’re urging party leadership to pivot back to our core economic management strengths and abandon this policy that contradicts core principles.”

Media Contact: Andrew Gregson +61 432 478 066
www.liberalsagainstnuclear.au

March 19, 2025 Posted by | politics | Leave a comment

“Desperate” Liberals urge Dutton to “stop this stupid nuclear palaver”

Jim Green, 18 March 2025, https://reneweconomy.com.au/desperate-liberals-urge-dutton-to-stop-this-stupid-nuclear-palaver/

The federal Coalition has gone silent about its plan to build seven nuclear power plants across Australia. But a new group called ‘Liberals Against Nuclear’ is frustrating the Coalition’s attempt to downplay its policy and wants the Coalition to ditch its nuclear policy before the election.

Announcing the group’s launch this morning, the Murdoch press reported:

“‘Desperate’ Liberal supporters have urged Peter Dutton to dump his $331bn nuclear promise, with fears the policy will drive voters to Teal and independent candidates in a tightly fought election.

“A coalition of voters, supporters and former officials will launch the new advocacy group, Liberals Against Nuclear on Tuesday through a series of ads set to be blasted on television, online platforms and billboards in targeted electorates.”

Spokesman and former Tasmanian Liberal director Andrew Gregson said:

“The people involved in this group are not doing it out of malice or anger but out of a desperation of sorts. They want to see the Liberals win government, and they are involved in a campaign against their own party. That’s not a comfortable place to be.”

Gregson added: 

“Nuclear power is the big road block preventing the Liberals getting to the Lodge. This is big government waste that betrays liberal values, splits the party, and hands Government back to Labor. It’s time for our party to dump nuclear. This policy contradicts core liberal principles by requiring tens of billions in government borrowing, swelling the bureaucracy, and imposing massive taxpayer-backed risk.

“As John Howard said: “For Liberals the role of government should be strategic and limited.” Yet this nuclear policy gives us bigger government, higher taxes to pay for it, more debt, and less freedom as the state takes over energy production.”

Referring to divisions within the Coalition about climate science and renewable energy, Gregson said that nuclear power is “a policy that fixes an internal problem but hangs a weight around the country’s neck for decades to come” and that “it’s clever politics but incredible bad policy.”

Advertising war chest

Liberals Against Nuclear has already amassed a “significant” war chest to fund its advertising campaign, Gregson said. The campaign launch includes television advertising, digital content, and billboards.

A Liberals Against Nuclear media release warns that the nuclear policy “is driving free market and middle ground voters directly to the Teals and other independents in must-win seats” and that “recent polling shows just 35% of Australians support nuclear energy, with support collapsing once voters understand the policy details.”

The Liberals Against Nuclear website makes the following statements:

“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.”

“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.”

“Nuclear power has never been built anywhere in the world without massive government subsidies. As true fiscal conservatives, 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.”

“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.”

Security risks

The Liberals Against Nuclear website states:

“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.”

The Australian Security Leaders Climate Group warned in a statement released in February that the Coalition’s plan to build nuclear reactors would leave Australia vulnerable to missile warfare and sabotage. 

Retired Admiral Chris Barrie, former Chief of the Australian Defence Force, said:

“Every nuclear power facility is a potential dirty bomb because rupture of containment facilities can cause devastating damage. Modern warfare is increasingly focused on missiles and uncrewed aerial systems, and with the proposed power stations all located within a 100 kilometres of the coast, they are a clear and accessible target.”

Cheryl Durrant, a former Department of Defence Director, said: 

“In the Ukraine-Russia war, both sides have given strategic priority to targeting their opponents’ energy systems, and Australia would be no different. So these nuclear facilities would necessitate expensive and complex missile defence systems as well as allocated cyber and counter-intelligence resources, making our security challenge more complex and expensive.”

Higher power bills and taxes

As of this morning, the Liberals Against Nuclear YouTube page had seven video advertisements. All of them refer to an estimated $665 increase in household power bills under the Coalition’s nuclear plan and express disbelief that the Dutton Coalition plans to massively increase power bills during a cost-of-living crisis. 

“They’ve got to stop this stupid nuclear palaver,” one of the advertisements states.

The $665 figure may come from a study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis which found that household electricity bills could rise by $665 per year on average if nuclear energy were introduced in Australia. For a four-person household, the rise would be $972 per year.

A separate study by the Smart Energy Council study also found that Dutton’s nuclear reactors would add $665 per year to the average non-solar household’s power bill and that the rooftop solar systems of up to 12.5 million Australians would need to be shut off every day to allow nuclear to be shoe-horned into the system.

The most recent economic analysis was conducted by global consultancy firm Jacobs for the Clean Energy Council. It found that reliance on coal and gas in Australia while waiting for nuclear power would increase the average household bill by $449 per year plus an $877 increase for small businesses.

Most of the Liberals Against Nuclear advertisements quote Coalition MPs — current and former, federal and state — opposed to Dutton’s nuclear reactor plan.

One advertisement quotes former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying nuclear power is the most expensive form of electricity generation, then cites the $665 figure, and asks if the Coalition “is trying to lose”.

Another advertisement quotes state Liberal/LNP leaders opposed to nuclear power, in Queensland, WA, Victoria and SA.

Another advertisement quotes NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman saying that nuclear power is a trojan horse for the coal industry.

Another advertisement quotes former federal Liberal minister Chrostopher Pyne saying the nuclear debate isn’t about what’s feasible or necessary and that it is about political positioning.

Another advertisement quotes former NSW Liberal Deputy Premier Matt Kean saying that nuclear power doesn’t stack up on practical or economic grounds.

Another advertisement cites the CSIRO saying that nuclear power is twice as expensive as alternatives.

Another advertisement cites Queensland LNP Senator Matt Canavan saying that nuclear fixes a political problem for the Coalition but “it ain’t the cheapest form of power”.

Suicide note

If the Liberals Against Nuclear groups wants more fodder for its advertisements, there’s plenty to choose from.

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in 2022: “Right now, there’s a moratorium on nuclear power here in Australia and the Labor Party are totally opposed to it. I’m just not going to put Australia through the argument which doesn’t get us anywhere … and for the Labor Party to run around at the next election and get themselves elected on the basis of a scare campaign.”

Tony Barry, former deputy state director and strategist for the Victorian Liberal Party, describes the Coalition’s decision to make nuclear power the centrepiece of its energy and climate policy is “the longest suicide note in Australian political history”.

Former Liberal leader John Hewson says that Dutton may be promoting nuclear “on behalf of large fossil-fuel donors knowing nuclear power will end up being too expensive and take too long to implement, thereby extending Australia’s reliance on coal and natural gas”.

Liberal MP Bridget Archer says that nuclear power should be pursued only if coupled with a rapid surge in renewables and that nuclear power should not be used as an excuse to prolong fossil fuel reliance.

Peter Dutton said in 2022, while settling into his new job as opposition leader, that nuclear power is “not on the table” for policy consideration because he wants to reduce power prices, not increase them.

Malcolm Turnbull, in addition to noting that nuclear is the most expensive form of power, has also said that the “science denying” element in the Coalition is “crazy, and to some extent getting crazier”; that the nuclear policy is “bonkers”; that Peter Dutton is a “thug” who says “stupid things” about nuclear power; and that nuclear power’s only utility is “as another culture war issue for the right-wing angertainment ecosystem”.

An unnamed current Coalition MP says the nuclear policy is “madness on steroids”, another says the Liberal and National Party rooms are “in a panic” about the nuclear policy and “they don’t know what to do”, and another echoes Turnbull’s view that the nuclear policy is “bonkers”.

The Howard government tried to go quiet on its policy of promoting nuclear power in the 2007 election year and to paper over divisions within the Coalition — at least 22 Coalition candidates publicly expressed concern or outright opposition. The nuclear power policy was ditched immediately after the Coalition lost the November 2007 election.

Dr. Jim Green is the national nuclear campaigner with Friends of the Earth Australia and a member of the EnergyScience Coalition.

March 19, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Liberals Against Nuclear launches campaign to return party to core values.

Liberals Against Nuclear

A new advocacy group, “Liberals Against Nuclear,” launched today with an advertising campaign aimed at persuading the Liberal Party to abandon its nuclear energy policy position so it can win the coming election.

The group spokesman is Andrew Gregson, former Tasmanian Liberal director, candidate, and small businessman.

“Nuclear power is the big road block preventing the Liberals getting to the Lodge,” Gregson said. “This is big government waste that betrays liberal values, splits the party, and hands Government back to Labor. It’s time for our party to dump nuclear.

“This policy contradicts core liberal principles by requiring tens of billions in government borrowing, swelling the bureaucracy, and imposing massive taxpayer-backed risk.”

The campaign launch includes television advertising, digital content, and billboards questioning the Liberal Party’s support for nuclear. The ads highlight how nuclear energy requires billions in upfront government borrowing, with international experience showing inevitable cost blowouts.

“As John Howard said: “For Liberals the role of government should be strategic and limited.” Yet this nuclear policy gives us bigger government, higher taxes to pay for it, more debt, and less freedom as the state takes over energy production,” Gregson said.

The group warns that the nuclear policy is driving free market and middle ground voters directly to the Teals and other independents in must-win seats. Recent polling shows just 35% of Australians support nuclear energy, with support collapsing once voters understand the policy details.

The group warns that the nuclear policy is driving free market and middle ground voters directly to the Teals and other independents in must-win seats. Recent polling shows just 35% of Australians support nuclear energy, with support collapsing once voters understand the policy details. https://liberalsagainstnuclear.au/

March 19, 2025 Posted by | politics | Leave a comment