Thursday, 23 August, 2007

by Peter Garrett
ALP

The Prime Minister has done another about-face on nuclear reactors.

Mr Howard simply cannot be trusted on nuclear reactors and waste dumps.

His vague support today for local plebiscites on nuclear reactors is his third position on the matter in as many months.

Mr Howard’s latest position exists only for political convenience - to paper over the gaping cracks in the Coalition on nuclear and climate change matters.

Mr Howard has shown many times in the past that he does not follow through on such promises. Today’s comments are merely an attempt to take political pressure off the Coalition and neutralise nuclear reactors as an election issue.

First, in May 2007, Senate Estimates hearings revealed the Government had begun work on removing legal barriers to overturning State and Local Government bans on nuclear power. This was confirmed by Mr Howard in Parliament on 29 May.

On 4 June 2007, when asked if nuclear power was inevitable, Mr Howard said “Of course…it has to come”.

Then, on 16 August when I first raised the idea of local nuclear plebiscites in Question Time, the Prime Minister dismissed the idea. He instead said it would be “commercial decision-making”, rather than the people that would determine when and where nuclear reactors would be built.

Finally, today, Mr Howard has said he would support local communities voting on whether they want nuclear reactors in their area, but not ahead of the election or with AEC funding.

The Prime Minister has flip-flopped on nuclear issues. He will say and do anything to get elected.

The only way to guarantee there will be no nuclear reactor or international waste dump in your local community is to elect a Rudd Labor Government.

The Federal Election will be a referendum on nuclear reactors.

The Australian people face a stark choice between the solar power and clean energy offered by a Rudd Labor Government and Mr Howard’s nuclear nation.