E&OE TRANSCRIPT
SUBJECTS: OPPOSITION’S NUCLEAR COSTINGS; EARLY EDUCATION REFORMS
SYLVIA JEFFREYS, HOST: The cost of Peter Dutton's controversial nuclear plan to transform energy across the country has finally been revealed this morning. A fleet of seven full scale reactors up and ready to go by 2050 costing taxpayers more than $300 billion according to the modelling. That's a lot cheaper than Labor's renewables plan. So, to discuss we're joined now by Minister for Government Services and the NDIS Bill Shorten and Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie. Morning to you both. Bridget, I'll go to you first. It will be two and a half decades before this is fully realised. Is Peter Dutton selling a fantasy?
BRIGET McKENZIE: Not at all. We've been really clear that the way we're going to get to net zero by 2050 and actually power our country well beyond next century is by adding net zero nuclear to the energy mix. So, we'll be having renewable power generation, obviously gas as we take coal offline and then doing what so many other progressive well developed nations are doing around the globe is actually adding net zero nuclear to that. And we know that the costing for that will be cheaper than Labor's renewable only approach. We know that their costings as we released last week or were actually five times more than what they'd actually put forward. And ours is actually going to be a cleaner, cheaper and more consistent plan for our nation to actually make sure we can keep those jobs here at home and get those bills down.
JEFFREYS: Bill, three years ago you promised that Aussies would pay $275 less for power under a Labor government. Today prices are up. So, this sets Labor up for a big fight over energy at the election.
SHORTEN: Sylvia, we know that energy prices are part of the cost living pressure on families. That's why I think that the heroic assumptions of Peter Dutton promising some sort of fanciful solution in 25 years time is just a crock of the proverbial. The reality is that their plan relies on old coal fired power stations going for another 25 years. What really amazes me about their proposals is they're saying that they are basically going to the Government's going to run the nuclear system and that they can do it on the cheap. Their numbers won't stack up. Mike Tyson once said that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. All I can say about Peter Dutton's plans is wait till they get punched by the facts. And we are going to just examine it. The fact of the matter is that the idea we're going to come from scratch and build a whole nuclear industry in Australia is, you know, just a fantasy. And if you believe that, there's a big bridge in Sydney Harbour, I'd like to sell you.
JEFFREYS: Well, I mean, Bill makes a point, Bridget. A lot can happen in two and a half decades. Right. So, can you really, hand on heart, promise Australians this morning that this plan will bring down their power bills?
McKENZIE: Well, we know that price is, you know, attached to the cost of delivering something. And our plan is absolutely cheaper than Labor's plan to get to 2050.
JEFFREYS: It's cheaper, but will it bring down power bills?
McKENZIE: Well, what we've got to do is. Exactly. We've got some of the highest energy costs in the world. We've seen record numbers of small businesses going bust and hardship cases for households struggling to pay their energy bills. So, by adding net zero nuclear to firm up that renewables that we've got in the grid as well is the way to actually get prices down over the long term. Because it isn't just about that. It's actually also about having reliable energy. As Bill and so many unions are supportive of nuclear going forward, those that care about manufacturing jobs-
JEFFREYS: Will you make our power bills cheaper?
SHORTEN: - it’s 25 years!
McKENZIE: Well, as price is absolutely related to the cost, Bill's plan is five times more over $600 billion. Ours is a cheaper plan to get to net zero with much more reliability.
JEFFREYS: All right, sounds like you don't exactly want to make the promise this morning.
McKENZIE: I'm not- so, that in the detail later this morning-
SHORTEN: Can I just say-
McKENZIE: - I'm not throwing down costings this morning on the Today Show. I'll leave that to Peter Dutton later on today.
SHORTEN: Well, I just want to be. Sylvia, if I can just add, you asked a plain, straight question. You know, are prices going to come down? And the best that Bridget can say is that based on a whole lot of heroic assumptions in 25 years! Sylvia, your kids will be, you know, you might be a grandma by then! I don't know, Bridget, if you'll still be in the centre.
McKENZIE: Prices are going up now under your plan.
SHORTEN: [cross talk] and your plan is going to help us in 25 years.
JEFFREYS: Let's see what Peter Dutton delivers a little later today when we hear more of the details, shall we? We've got to move on. It's been a really big week. The PM obviously has made his big election pitch on childcare. Three days guaranteed of subsidised care by scrapping the activity test. Bridget, will the coalition support this? This will be very popular with a lot of families.
McKENZIE: Well, we want a childcare system where the most vulnerable in our community can access it, which is as it is at the moment. And then if you're working, studying or looking for work, you get priority at for childcare places. So, by scrapping the activity test, you're actually scrapping that prioritisation for working families. We don't think that's the right way to go and we think those who are working hard to pay the, you know, the mortgage and the bills that are coming in at the moment, that are studying to, you know, be able to develop their skills to get a better job or those who are looking for work should be prioritised. So, we're not in favour of scrapping the activity test, recognising that the most vulnerable families in our communities already can access childcare.
JEFFREYS: Ok, Bill. The childcare announcement, while popular with many, was largely overshadowed by the PM's response to anti-Semitic attacks this week. It has been, whichever way you look at it, a bruising week for Anthony Albanese, ending the year on the back foot is not what he would have hoped for.
SHORTEN: Sylvia, first of all, in terms of the childcare, since the opposition's had the chance to bag it, all we want to do is make sure that every little child, regardless of their parents circumstances, gets a fair go in life. That's all. And I think it's very hard to argue against it. In terms of the Prime Minister. It's not whether or not he's had a hard week. I mean, this week we've announced making sure every little child gets a fair go at childcare. We've also announced the PNG NRL team. We've also, in my own portfolio, for example, been raiding NDIS services, police raids on scallywag NDIS providers. This Government's getting on with it. The hard week has been had by Australians of Jewish heritage because of the firebombing of the synagogue and the Prime Minister stands along them, as does the Opposition. But the Prime Minister is finishing the week on a high because we're challenging and making sure every kid doesn't get left behind because we want to improve our relations with our nearest neighbour. And also we're now cracking down on Facebook, Meta and TikTok and making sure that we protect the quality journalism such as this show and that the social media platforms not getting away with our daylight robbery.
JEFFREYS: Well, these are the kind of national discussions and interviews we'd like to carry on for many years to come. So, Bill and Bridget, we appreciate your time today. Happy Friday and we'll see you soon.