Albanese moves to switch debate back to Future Made in Australia
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The news: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will on Thursday attempt to switch the agenda back to his flagship industrial policy as a means to attack the Coalition’s nuclear power plans.
The context: This week in parliament has been dominated by the Coalition’s nuclear policy, troubling monthly inflation data, the release of Julian Assange and Labor senator Fatima Payman’s decision to cross the floor on a motion to recognise a Palestinian state.
But in a speech to think tank CEDA’s State of the Nation conference, Albanese will attempt to shift the narrative back to his Future Made in Australia plan, announced in April as his answer to Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Albanese has committed $22.7 billion over the next decade to deliver the plan, including a $1.7 billion innovation fund to develop emerging industries such as green hydrogen and metals.
Confirming that the Future Made in Australia Act will be introduced to parliament next week, the Prime Minister will seek to directly compare his plan with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s policy to build seven nuclear power plants in Australia.
Albanese will argue that the "true cost" of nuclear power in Australia would be a return to the “politics of conflict", which would undermine business certainty and drive up power prices.
What they said: "That’s the true cost of nuclear power in Australia. Not just the hundreds of billions of dollars in the cost of constructing the reactors more than a decade away. Not just the price households and businesses would pay for energy that is eight times more expensive than renewables,” Albanese will say, according to a draft of the speech.
“But the danger that another decade of denial prevents the action on climate and investment in energy we need now.
“We cannot go back to the politics of conflict undermining business certainty and driving up power bills.
“We cannot afford nuclear power to be deployed as just another weapon in the culture wars.
“Australia has every resource imaginable to succeed in this decisive decade.
“Critical minerals, rare earths, skills and space and sunlight, the trade ties to our region.
“The only thing our nation does not have, is time to waste.”
The source: Prime Minister's Office
