Peter Dutton's nuclear power policy is a 'suicide note'

The pro-nuclear bias of the Murdoch media is plain for all to see, and has been confirmed by a recent academic analysis. A note of dissent recently came from James Campbell, a political editor for Murdoch newspapers and websites across Australia. He says the Coalition's nuclear policy is "stark raving mad" and he quotes an unnamed Coalition MP saying the policy is "madness on steroids".

Campbell writes:

You'd have thought that a mob that so easily unpicked the lead of the Yes case at the Voice referendum would understand that support for anything radical in Australia shrinks the moment it hits any sort of concerted opposition.

And support for this is weak to start with – 35 per cent in favour versus 32 per cent opposed according to a recent RedBridge poll. …

If we accept the next election is going to be all about the current cost-of-living crisis then nuclear power isn't going to be much of a help to the Coalition, given it is at least 10 to 15 years away.

Worse, not only will nuclear energy not be much help as a cost-of-living policy, its salience will make sure that no one gets to hear about whatever policies the Coalition does offer. …

Then there's the unity problem. Do you really think Liberal candidates in "tealy" places are going to face the front on this? …

And that's even before you get to the state Liberal leaders! How many of them do you reckon are going to be lining up to sing this policy's praises? …

Madness. It's total madness.

Unbiased nuclear polls

Here are the results from some opinion polls in Australia over the past five years, with a decent sample size and questions that weren't designed to push respondents in one direction or another:

* 2024 Resolve Political Monitor survey commissioned by the Nine newspapers: 36 percent support nuclear power, 23 percent opposed, 15 percent undecided, 27 percent "do not have a strong view, and would like to see the government investigate its use".

* 2023 Freshwater Strategy Poll: 35 percent support nuclear power, 35 percent opposed, 18 percent neutral, 12 percent unsure. Thirty-seven percent agree that 'Australia does not need to generate any energy from nuclear power', 36 percent disagree, 27 percent neutral. Forty-four percent agree that Australia should remove the legal ban on nuclear power development, 29 percent disagree, 25 percent neutral.

* 2023 Essential poll: 50 percent support Australia developing nuclear power plants for the generation of electricity, 33 percent opposed, 18 percent unsure.

* 2023 Savanta study commissioned by the pro-nuclear Radiant Energy Group: 40 percent strongly support or tend to support using nuclear energy to generate electricity in Australia, 36 percent strongly oppose or tend to oppose, 17 percent neutral, 7 percent don't know. The study found that those who are most climate-concerned are least likely to support the use of nuclear power. (Perhaps they are better educated on the issues and the options.)

* 2019 Essential poll: 44 percent support nuclear power, 40 percent opposed.

* 2019 Roy Morgan Poll: 45 percent support nuclear power, 40 percent opposed.

The Coalition (and other supporters) can take comfort that support for nuclear power exceeds opposition in most of those polls. But support doesn't reach a majority in any of them.