{"id":59537,"date":"2022-03-04T05:12:03","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T18:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=59537"},"modified":"2024-07-03T15:23:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T05:53:28","slug":"campbell-newman-nuclear-mb2380","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/campbell-newman-nuclear-mb2380\/","title":{"rendered":"Campbell Newman Continues Push For Nuclear Power In Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Campbell<\/p>\n

Campbell Newman is busy spruiking the Liberal Democrats’ “Freedom Manifesto” and the party’s penchant for nuclear power in Australia.<\/p>\n

Who Is Campbell Newman?<\/h2>\n

You might remember Mr. Newman from roles including Premier of Queensland – and his attempts during that time to demonise solar power. His anti-renewables efforts included a bungled approach to phasing-down the state\u2019s Solar Bonus Scheme that backfired spectacularly, creating a rush on solar panels.<\/p>\n

Mr. Newman was described at the time as<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“.. the most anti-solar Premier in Australia\u2019s history, writing the playbook for Tony Abbott\u2019s assault on solar and renewable energy.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While Campbell Newman led the Liberal National Party of Queensland to its first victory at the 2012 state election, it was booted out in 2015 and Mr. Newman also lost his own seat. He must have really pissed off a lot of Queenslanders; no doubt a bunch of solar power system owners among them.<\/p>\n

In July last year he announced his resignation from the LNP and in August said he would be running for federal Senate representing Queensland under a Liberal Democrats banner.<\/p>\n

Campbell Newman Really Likes Nuclear Energy<\/h2>\n

A source of electricity generation Mr. Newman and the Liberal Democrats are pretty fond is nuclear energy.<\/p>\n

“.. we want to open up the door to the cleanest, safest and lowest CO2 emitting source of energy – nuclear power,” he states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wrong on all three counts and something that wasn’t mentioned in that statement – conspicuous by its absence – is cost. Back in October last year, SQ’s Ronald provided a simple reason why Australia will never have nuclear power plants:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Nuclear power is too expensive for Australia<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    … and went into detail on that aspect, plus also tackled the claimed emissions advantage Mr. Newman mentions:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Nuclear power uses up resources that would result in greater emission cuts if used for wind and solar energy generation, plus energy storage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Anyway, you can check out what Campbell Newman has to say about nuclear power in Australia in the LibDems’ video at the end of this article, which is titled “Freedom Manifesto – Policy 7 – Cheap Energy”. The nuclear energy bit starts around 1:10.<\/p>\n

      I’m a little wary of first two words in the title as “freedom” is sometimes used by people not understanding it entails great personal responsibility and accountability. Without that, it’s just the worst form of anarchy. As for “manifesto”, it has been associated with the written babblings of deranged individuals before they head out into the community and cause havoc. On a somewhat related note, there was the pro-coal “Monash Manifesto<\/a>” thing back a few years ago (that mob has gone really quiet).<\/p>\n

      Something Mr. Newman did get right:<\/p>\n

      “All sources of energy should compete on the market on their own merits of reliability and cost.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      …\u00a0 assuming environmental and human health impact is part of that cost, we’re set for a very level playing field showdown.<\/p>\n

      CSIRO has previously noted<\/a> even taking into account extra system integration costs such as storage and additional transmission expenditure, solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind continue to be the cheapest new sources of electricity – and new nuclear energy (SMR – still pretty much vapourware<\/a>) one of the most expensive.<\/p>\n

      For your viewing pleasure (or otherwise) – presenting Campbell Newman, star of the Liberal Democrats:<\/p>\n