Collie community don’t take nuclear policy seriously, says assistant Climate Change and Energy Minister

Collie community members don’t take the Opposition’s nuclear policy seriously, according to assistant Climate Change and Energy Minister Josh Wilson. The Fremantle MP also told the Times the idea of turning to nuclear would pose “significant” health risks, despite experts agreeing it is a relatively safe form of energy. Mr Wilson was in the South West on Tuesday, visiting a business in Burekup and meeting industry and community leaders in Collie to discuss the town’s transition to clean energy. Mr Wilson said the Coalition’s nuclear proposal barely came up — an indicator of the lack of belief the community has in the idea, he said. “Not surprisingly, people in Collie were dismissive of that suggestion (nuclear in Collie) because it is, frankly, a ridiculous one,” Mr Wilson said. “There is no detail attached to what Peter Dutton has proposed with respect to a nuclear reactor in Collie, we don’t know what kind of reactor, how much it would cost, where it would go, when it would be delivered, we literally know very little.” Under the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy announced in June, Collie would house a small modular reactor at the site of the retiring Muja Power Station. The cost and specific time frame of the reactor has not been revealed, but the Times understands the Coalition plans to reveal costings before the election. Despite health concerns being refuted by experts, Mr Wilson claimed nuclear would be a “significant risk” to human health. “My strong sense is that the Collie community is focused on a clear and positive clean energy future,” he said. “They’re not interested in a retrograde proposal that would drag them back to an old and failed technology that would be enormously expensive and also present significant risks to human and environmental health.” Speaking to the Times in June, Associate Professor Liam Wagner from Curtin University Sustainable Engineering Group said while the financial and timeline aspects of the nuclear plan were “inconceivable”, safety was not an issue. That safety view point was backed up by Australian Nuclear Association president and nuclear engineer Mark Ho who said the industry was now “well regulated”. Speaking in Bunbury on Wednesday morning, shadow climate change and energy minister Ted O’Brien said Mr Wilson’s comments were part of a scare campaign. “We know from best practice around the world we already have 32 countries using zero emissions nuclear energy today, (and) another 50 countries are looking at introducing it for the very first time,” he said. “Australia is isolated, and it remains isolated while you have Labor politicians running this antiquated fear campaign, is Josh Wilson seriously suggesting that the United States, that Canada, that UK, that Japan, that South Korea, that everybody is using some old technology? “We should only be looking at new and emerging nuclear technology — it is the safest form of energy generation in the world, it gets prices down, keeps the lights on. Clearly that’s not what Labor wants.” On Mr Wilson’s trip to the South West, he visited Evedon Lakeside Retreat in Burekup which received a $25,000 grant as part of the Federal Government’s $56.7 million energy efficiency grants scheme. The business recently installed a walk-in fridge in place of traditional freezers, becoming more energy efficient.