Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last Wednesday, the former Northern Power Station site at Port Augusta in South Australia was announced as one of the coalition's planned nuclear reactor sites. I met with the mayor of Port Augusta, Linley Shine, yesterday and went through some of those plans. I was very pleased with at least her response. She was quite amazed at the lack of public objection to the proposal.

This morning I picked up the Advertiser and it's done some survey work. It says that 54 per cent of South Australians believe that nuclear power has a place in Australia's future. In Port Augusta it was 72 per cent. Port Augustans were then asked whether they'd be comfortable with a reactor in their region, and 59 per cent said yes.

I have to say that these numbers don't really surprise me. South Australia had 71 per cent renewable electricity last year, but it's not the only race we're winning in Australia. We have the highest power retail power price by a 50 per cent margin over the next state in Australia. No wonder people are ready for change. That's why they absolutely understand that we need something to plug the hole and that's why the coalition is saying it will be nuclear.

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