Antinuclear

Is nuclear dead? Signs Coalition’s policy isn’t buried despite election loss

The Liberals and Nationals will review their policy platforms as they assess their sweeping election defeat, which resulted in Labor claiming a majority government.

By Cameron Carr, 9 May 25, https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/signs-coalition-nuclear-policy-not-buried-despite-election-loss/ideom2e8z

But the Coalition didn’t have much of a choice when it came to election promises around energy, Simpson told SBS News.

“The Coalition had to come to the election saying something about energy policy if they were going to oppose Labor’s policy, and there’s not really that many options,” he said.

“They could have come out and said, ‘We’re going to use gas and or coal for eternity’, but then they would have to abandon their commitment to net zero.”

Fewer moderates in the party

Simpson said there are a couple of reasons the Coalition could come back with a version of the policy for the next election.

“In 2022, they lost all those teal seats. They lost a lot of moderate voices from the Liberal Party. And then that’s just been exacerbated in this recent election,” Simpson said.

“There are very few voices going to be coming from metropolitan urban areas in the Coalition party room. So that’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if, after they do the post-election wash-up and assessment of what went wrong, they come out again with another pro-nuclear policy.”

Simpson said “cultural opposition” is likely another factor, with the Coalition ideologically resistant to a transition to renewable energy.

“They don’t particularly believe in climate change, and it’s certainly not a priority for them,” he said.

While nuclear energy could be a policy the Coalition runs again in 2028, Simpson predicted it would cause “further devastation” within its remaining metropolitan seats and push the Coalition into the “electoral wilderness” for a generation.

May 10, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics