The ETU stands firmly against Dutton’s nuclear fantasy. It is too little power, too late, too expensive and it will kill jobs.
The Electrical Trades Union has begun the next phase of our campaign against Peter Dutton’s underpowered, overpriced nuclear plan, launching a truck emblazoned with nuclear imagery to travel through the NSW communities that continue to be kept in the dark about the Coalition’s plans.
The truck will travel from Port Botany through Sydney and the Blue Mountains to Dutton’s proposed Mt Piper nuclear reactor site on Wednesday to give locals a real idea of the impacts of the radioactive materials being transported to fuel the reactors and the nuclear waste being removed.
Over the coming days, in the lead up to the election, it will take routes from the port to sites in Wollongong and the Hunter region, all possible exit points for nuclear material.
Peter Dutton has so far refused to answer questions on his plans for transporting the many tonnes of nuclear fuel and waste generated by his $600bn plan, and which neighbourhoods will be affected by radioactive material passing through.
The World Nuclear Association states that a 1000MW reactor uses approximately 27 tonnes of uranium annually, with Mr Dutton’s planned 2000MW reactors meaning more fuel, more waste and more trucks full of radioactive material driving across the state. You can get the facts here
“Voters are still yet to be told where Peter Dutton’s nuclear waste will go, and what Australian communities will be affected. However, the fuel enters Australia, and however the waste exits the country, it will be driven through high density residential neighbourhoods to get to sites identified by Peter Dutton. What we do know is that a nuclear energy plan for 2045 would cost $600 billion, not produce any energy for the next 20 years, and kill energy worker’ jobs. – ETU National Secretary, Michael Wright.
Australia is in the midst of an energy transition, not only with the shift to renewables but with the rise of electric vehicles and decline of gas in homes. This transition is happening against a backdrop of global and domestic net zero emissions policy, coal fired power station closures, availability of lower priced energy sources and massive changes to how our energy system works. All of this is impacting and will continue to impact ETU members.
And the ETU has been working hard to ensure that this transition provides good, well paid secure jobs for our members.
However, Peter Dutton and the Coalition say that they want nuclear power to have a role in Australia’s energy transition. This is despite the Liberal Party having been in power for 64% of the time since the first commercial reactor was switched on (you’d think if they were serious, they’d have already done it).
At the upcoming Federal election, Dutton will be pushing his nuclear scheme.
The ETU, along with the MUA and the Plumbers’ Union are running an ad campaign across broadcast TV, FM radio in each capital city and are also running online ads across digital platforms.
The ads show how a Dutton nuclear plan will cost, at best guess, $600bn to power only 4% of the grid. And why in the sunniest continent on earth, and with solar and batteries getting cheaper, why would we switch to nuclear?
With the country at already 40% renewable energy use and growing, why would we switch to nuclear? Nuclear plants will use water than coal-fired power stations! And what does it mean for jobs if these plants will take over 20 years to build and get online. Dutton’s scheme doesn’t stack up.
“How does a nuclear reactor built in 2045 keep the lights on in 2025? Nuclear is too little energy for too much money coming too late. This is not a fear campaign. It’s grounded in science and where this country is. If you can engage people with the facts, you don’t need to scare people. Nuclear just doesn’t make sense.” – ETU National Secretary, Michael Wright.
The ETU will always stand and fight for the jobs and safe futures of electrical trades workers, their families and their communities. We need politicians like Peter Dutton to stop playing games with our future and get out of the way to let us build it. We need good, secure well-paid jobs, not a radioactive pipe dream that will throw workers the scrap heap.