David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

So, Liberals are for nuclear, coal and gas, and Labor is for coal, gas and nuclear subs—and neither lot are for the planet or the people. The Tweedledum and Tweedledee of Australian politics are having a present dust-up while secretly holding hands, ignoring the climate crisis and fuelling climate change. Result polling made it clear that the net likeability of rooftop solar is 82 per cent, renewables 66 per cent, nuclear barely eight per cent and coal two per cent. So, why are Labor and Liberal so hell-bent on pushing their deadly mix of coal, gas and nuclear? Maybe—just maybe—their big donors in the fossil fuel industry have something to do with it. Or maybe it's the jobs they're lining up for once they leave politics. Maybe it's both of those things together.

But as much as the Albanese Labor government feigns outrage over Dutton's nuclear plan, there's a big AUKUS shaped elephant in the room, isn't there? The Labor government is rightly pointing out how dangerous and absurd nuclear power is for Australia, but at the same time they're desperately pushing legislation through this place that'll see tonnes and tonnes of high-level nuclear waste dumped here from Australian and even UK and US nuclear reactors. For the Albanese government, nuclear power is bad—unless it's in a nuclear reactor in a floating metal tube with a US flag painted on the side. Perhaps the stars and stripes will keep us safe! It's embarrassing to watch the Albanese government huff and puff and fight nuclear when their opponent is Peter Dutton but then roll over like puppies when it comes to the US docking nuclear reactors around Australia. In Labor land, community outrage is 100 per cent legitimate when it's against having a big fat coalition reactor plonked in their backyard, but it's all just a Greens led conspiracy when it says no to having a floating reactor in their local harbour. (Time expired)