18 hours Ago By Dominic Giannini
Peter Dutton has skirted over locals' concerns about a slated nuclear power plant as he tries to reclaim key seats by focusing on local jobs. Login or signup to continue reading The opposition leader is on his first trip to Western Australia during the election campaign, spruiking pro-mining and gas rhetoric in the resource-dominant state and promising to slash approval times for new projects. But he refused to commit to visiting the site of his proposed nuclear plant in Collie, despite concerns from locals about the plan.
Initially ignoring a question about talking to the community, Mr Dutton subsequently said there were seven proposed nuclear sites around Australia and "I won't be able to get to all of them", when pressed. "In relation to Collie, I've been to Collie before," he told reporters in Perth on Thursday. "But I do know that when you speak to people in regions, including in the Hunter in NSW, for example .
.. they know that what we're offering is the ability to transform those communities and to build it up.
" The Liberals' plan is to transform old coal plants into nuclear ones, with the argument centred around keeping jobs in traditionally mining economies. Critics say it will be too expensive and more emissions-intensive. Labor argues jobs are being created in renewable energy and clean industries that it is supporting.
Mr Dutton arrived in Perth with a $600 million roads funding package and rallied party faithful in a must-win seat. The funding covers sealing, widening and strengthening roads, highways and bridges used to transport mining and agricultural products. Mr Dutton launched the campaign of Pearce candidate Jan Norberger at the Wanneroo botanic gardens in Perth's north where he announced $1 million for a business case for a local hospital.
He criticised the prime minister and environment minister for delaying the approval of a major gas project in WA until after the election, saying it was to appease voters in inner-city seats on the east coast. The coalition lost Pearce to Labor at the 2022 election off the back of a 14 per cent swing. The Liberals also took a massive hit on their primary vote, while Labor's was turbocharged as the popularity of the state Labor government boosted its electoral fortunes.
It is one of half a dozen electorates the coalition is desperate to win after WA largely handed Labor victory with massive swings in 2022. This includes winning the new seat of Bullwinkel in Perth's outer suburbs and reclaiming the inner city seat of Curtin lost to independent Kate Chaney. Tangney, Swan and Hasluck are other WA seats the coalition is targeting.
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