Former prime minister Tony Abbott has branded the Labor government’s rush to get rid of coal and gas a “slow motion train wreck” before waving away its “ridiculous” arguments against nuclear energy.
Australia’s energy system is becoming a “slow-motion train wreck”, says former prime minister Tony Abbott.
“We have been running our electricity system, not to produce affordable and reliable power, but to reduce emissions for the best part of a decade and a half,” Mr Abbott told Sky News host Peta Credlin.
“This idea that we should rush to get rid of gas, rush to get rid of coal, when the rest of the world is hungry for our gas, hungry for our coal, it is an act of economic self-harm.”
Speaking to Sky News host Peta Credlin, Mr Abbott said for the past decade and a half Australia’s energy plan had prioritised emission reduction over affordability and reliability.
Mr Abbott said he could understand why people are “angry” as no other country on earth was trying to establish an energy mix comprised of 82 per cent renewables within six years.
“Frankly, it’s now becoming a slow motion train wreck. This idea that we should rush to get rid of gas, rush to get rid of coal, when the rest of the world is hungry for our gas hungry for our coal. It is an act of economic self-harm,” he said.
“We are trying to lead the world as if we could save the world.
“With about 1 per cent of global emissions here, with India and China rapidly increasing their emissions. Whatever we do, this is just a futile green gesture.”
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has dismissed Labor’s arguments against the opposition’s nuclear plan as “ridiculous”. Picture: Sky News Australia
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The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) delivered a notice last week which sounded the alarm on the “inadequate” supply of gas in “all or part” of the east coast gas system.
Last Thursday, sources said the market operator convened a meeting of industry where they “left open the option of intervention,” revealing it would talk with power station owners to potentially cut back on their supply, according to The Australian.
The Australian Pipelines and Gas Association chief executive Steve Davies said for the past half a decade, the industry had been warning about the “looming gas supply shortfalls”, but “little” had been done to help it.
“The extreme lows in renewable generation, particularly wind yields, have meant gas-powered generation has picked up a significantly larger load to keep the lights on and ensure electric homes can remain heated,” Mr Davies said.
Australia could face blackouts unless regional communities approved the construction of 10,000 kilometres of transmission lines as AEMO announced the dangerously low amount of energy supply in spite of the plan to push coal out of the grid by 2038.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has “created a contest” with the Albanese Labor government over the practicality of nuclear and renewables, says former prime minister Tony Abbott.
“It’s the first time there has been a serious contest about energy and climate over the last decade,” Mr Abbott told Sky News host Peta Credlin.
“This idea we can’t do nuclear when at least 33 other countries do – it’s ridiculous.”
Mr Abbott said the “sooner the public wake up” to the disparity of emissions Australia produced versus the rest of the world “the better for all of us”.
The former prime minister said renewables were only cheap when the wind was blowing and the sun was shining, but Australians needed energy around the clock and in order to “firm up” wind and solar, more gas was needed.
“And yet, gas is exactly what the climate zealots won’t let us have,” he said.
Before outlining the “ridiculous” arguments against Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s nuclear power proposal, Mr Abbott said when “Labor lie, Liberals lose”.
The next federal election could be treated as a referendum on nuclear energy as the Coalition’s proposal has increasingly become a central point of dispute across both sides of parliament, with Labor’s response to the idea branded by Mr Abbott as “hysterical” .
“What Peter Dutton has done is created a contest. It’s the first time there’s been a serious contest about energy and climate, over the last decade,” he said.
Mr Abbott said the “sooner the public wake up” to the disparity of emissions Australia produced versus the rest of the world “the better for all of us”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman
“This idea that, we can’t do nuclear when at least 33 other countries do – it’s ridiculous. This idea that nuclear is somehow unsafe when we’ve had a nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights within a stone’s throw of backyards for 60 years – that’s ridiculous.
“This idea that somehow we can’t have nuclear on land when we’re going to get it at sea – that’s ridiculous. This idea that nuclear would take too long when, hell, we’ve got this Snowy 2.0 which is going to take more than a decade to bring to fruition, and where the costs have blown out from 2 billion to 12 billion plus.”
Mr Abbott said all of the arguments used against nuclear did not “stand up” and in the end it was “green prejudice” which stopped Australia from moving towards net zero.
“It is the only way of getting to net zero and keeping the lights on, because it’s the only proven form of zero emissions baseload power for a country like Australia,” Mr Abbott said.