Honest Government Ad | Nuclear (Australia)

Dear Patrons

Here is our latest Honest Government Ad that you've helped us to produce. The first one of 2025!

I have a couple of things to say about this video, if you'll indulge me. (If not that's totally fine, just watch the video!)

I started researching this topic in December, during our break, and I have to confess I didn't realise just how cooked the Coalition's plan for nuclear in Australia actually is. The more I learned about it, the more I realised this isn't a serious energy policy. This is a political strategy to bring together the Liberal and National parties (otherwise torn apart by climate "moderates" on one side, and total nutbag deniers on the other), to win an election under the semblance of a policy they hope will appeal to climate-conscious Liberal voters, but is actually just a smokescreen for coal and gas. A total conjob. And a stark reminder of why this mob should never be allowed to form government again.

But the scary thing is that people are buying it. Intelligent people! Speaking with friends during the summer I realised far too many are under-informed and thus think Dutton's is a good-faith proposal; one that merits consideration. So I KNEW we had to make this the topic of our first HGA in 2025.

And the stakes could not be higher. Because if re-elected, not only will the Coalition not build nuclear (they literally can't as first they would need to overturn federal and state bans, and that means controlling both Houses), they will also slow down the historic energy transition Australia is currently in the midst of.

And this is a point I really wanted to communicate in this HGA: the transition of our electricity grid away from our aging coal-power "is well underway" (to quote AEMO, our Australian Electricity Market Operator). This is not a fork in the road that we're approaching, as some imagine it: we're already almost half-way there! So by the time the first nuclear reactor would start producing energy in the mid-2040s (and that's very optimistic) our grid will already be 96-98% powered by renewables - as projected by AEMO to happen in 2040. And it's happening fast! As we point out in the video, Australia built the equivalent of 6x 1GW nuclear reactors worth of wind and solar in just the last six years!

Which is why, at least in terms of the transition of our electricity grid, Australia is on the right path. And the only thing that can stop this, literally, is Peter Dutton winning this election.

That is why I decided to focus on the Coalition in this HGA. And we may well do it again ahead of the election. That doesn't mean we're going to let Labor off the hook (as you can see from the final cameo!) but I think you'll agree we also have to make sure moderate Liberal voters are informed about the Coalition's policies. Coz lord knows they cannot be trusted anywhere near the levers of Australia's energy policy (and many others for that matter).

Sorry. I had to get that rant off my chest!

Ehrm...

I hope you enjoy this HGA.

Honest Government Ad | Nuclear (Australia)

Please share it with your friends - especially ones who might be swayed by the idea of Australia embracing nuclear today (I know a few of them, too!). If it helps to reassure them, consider prefacing it by mentioning that nuclear per se makes total sense in some countries. Australia just isn't one of them. And this HGA explains why.

And if you'd like to be even more informed, I highly recommend this excellent video by Engineering with Rosie: Four Reasons Why Nuclear Power is a Dumb Idea for Australia

I also strongly recommend watching this video on Small Modular Reactors. The Verdict - by Dave Borlace. (Subscribe to his channel and, if you can, his Patreon - as he is doing incredible work in this space!)

Lastly, I hope you can take some time to listen to this podcast interview with Simon Holmes à Court who does a brilliant job of summing all the reasons why Dutton's nuclear plan is so cooked - from an energy, financial and a politics perspective: someone who knows a lot about nuclear, in conversation with a host who asks great questions!

That's all for now!

Thank you for making this HGA possible. We may have been the ones slogging off researching, writing, acting and editing for the past month - but we could never do any of this work without you. So thank you!

We'll be back very soon with more HGAs to help keep voters informed ahead of election day! Until then, take care

Giordano & team