The federal inquiry into Nuclear Power Generation in Australia has reached Collie – one of seven towns set to host a nuclear reactor if the opposition is elected. The public hearing comes after the Opposition released a report detailing costings and a timeframe for going nuclear – though Western Australia was left out of the modelling, causing some locals to ask what exactly is the plan.
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00:00It was heated at times, and emotions were never far from the surface.
00:12A modest crowd gathered in Collie for Stop 18 of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Nuclear
00:17Power.
00:18The town is one of seven around Australia to be put forward as a site to host a nuclear
00:23reactor.
00:24Dr Dutton made a whistle-stop tour of the town in October, but failed to win over locals.
00:30Attendees raised concerns over the social impact.
00:33This dialogue around nuclear has not happened yet, and certainly the proposal was launched
00:38onto the community without any of this level of dialogue that's required.
00:44Unions representing Collie coal workers told the inquiry they'd just made peace with
00:48the transition to renewable energy and battery storage, and felt like the goalposts had shifted
00:53once again.
00:54When I had that conversation with them, the biggest concern for them is the timing.
00:58It's like, hey, I've got a closure date here, I've been told I'm finishing, but what am
01:01I going to?
01:03While Indigenous elders voiced concerns about a lack of consultation.
01:07We should be able to make decisions on what happens on our country.
01:10You didn't want to meet with Indigenous leaders?
01:12No, I didn't.
01:13No.
01:14I made that clear.
01:15So you didn't want to meet?
01:16Will you meet with traditional owners?
01:17No, we've made it clear.
01:18We've met with the representatives of the local community.
01:22The Shadow Energy Minister says the community will be at the heart of whatever they do.
01:27And we'll continue to engage.
01:29And this is why it's so important that we put communities at the centre.
01:33Now, Peter Dutton's leadership has been very clear on that.
01:36We need to engage.
01:37The committee will hold its last hearing in Perth tomorrow before it delivers its final
01:42report by the end of April.