Thursday 4 August 2022 11:37 PM Peter Dutton calls for Australia to consider nuclear power trends now

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has urged Anthony Albanese's government to have an 'honest discussion' about nuclear energy as power bills continue to surge.

It comes as the government's climate change proposal setting a carbon emissions cut target of 43 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2050, passed the lower house on Thursday.

Labor also wants to increase the share of renewables in Australia's National Electricity Market to 82 per cent, up from about a third today.

But Mr Albanese wants to achieve these aims by expanding solar, wind and hydro power without needing nuclear.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (pictured) has made an urgent call for there to be an 'honest discussion' about implementing nuclear power

Despite being emissions free, nuclear power has been banned in Australia since 1998 under Commonwealth laws.

Mr Dutton urged the government to look to other nations that have implemented nuclear power plants as part of the energy mix to help reduce emissions, rather than just relying on solar, wind and hydro technology.

'The latest [nuclear] technology provides zero emissions, it's a cheap technology. The nonsense that Chris Bowen is carrying on with about nuclear being expensive compared to wind and solar - it's a nonsense argument.

How do nuclear power plants work?

1. Producing electricity from nuclear energy requires splitting atoms to release the energy.

2. Nuclear reactors fuelled by uranium pellets produce atom-splitting nuclear fission.

3. As they split, atoms release particles which cause other atoms to split, causing a chain reaction.

4. The chain reaction creates heat that warms a cooling agent such as water or liquid metal.

5. Steam is produced that powers turbines which feed energy to generators that produce electricity.

'We have to stick to the facts instead of the emotion on this issue, and we're going to lose industry, there are going to be smelters, and others are closed down under this government, the jobs will go offshore, and the emissions will still go into the air.

'If we want a situation where we are going to have blackouts and brownouts and rationing like we are seeing in Germany, then keep going down the path the government is taking us.'

His comments come after energy prices soared due to rising demand for coal and gas prompted by the early onset of winter and Russia's war on Ukraine.

'Sixty per cent of the capacity of our coal-fired generators is expected to leave the market by 2030,' he said in a statement.

'This will leave Australian households and businesses vulnerable to a re-run of the chaos we are now seeing under Labor.

'If we are serious about reducing emissions, while at the same time maintaining a strong economy and protecting our traditional industries, all technologies need to be on the table.

Mr Dutton said that an 'honest discussion' about nuclear power was urgently needed but that the government was unwilling to listen.

'The Coalition will show Australians that we are prepared to undertake this honest and informed debate, which has alluded our country for too long.'

'The fact we can't have a discussion about nuclear in our country in the 21st century when France is investing more into nuclear, when the United Kingdom is, when Germany is, when Italy is, China, Asia - it's nonsense.'

He added that nuclear energy would provide zero emissions and is a 'cheap technology' that would steer clear the country clear of the energy crisis.

Mr Dutton said the government has avoided even entertaining the idea of using nuclear energy, which he claimed would provide zero emissions and is a 'cheap technology' (pictured, a power station in La Trobe valley)

Anthony Albanese slammed the Coalition for being 'obsessed' by nuclear reactors while ignoring the biggest nuclear reactor of all - the sun.

Mr Dutton said the prime minister was 'ideologically opposed' to nuclear energy.

'Bob Hawke was strongly in favour