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Remind me. Who was that bloke who chanted "If you don't know, vote no" over and over last year? I could have sworn it was the same character who fronted the media yesterday to deliver his long-awaited nuclear energy plan. That's right, Peter Dutton.
But something remarkable has happened between this Dutton and last year's version.
Last year's Dutton told us in no circumstances should we vote to change the constitution without details about how that change would work.
This year's Dutton is now telling us to accept his word without detail. At first, it was junking the 2030 emissions reductions target. Tell us your target, the country insisted. Not now, he replied, not until after the election. Trust me.
This year's Dutton spent yesterday morning telling us we should adopt nuclear energy - and him as PM - without giving us a shred of detail about how much it would cost. No mention of the recent CSIRO report, which said each reactor would cost at least $8.5 billion, making it twice as expensive as renewable energy.
Cost? We'll get to that later, he told the troublesome reporters who kept asking who'd foot the bill. This year's Dutton recast himself like a 1940s Labor PM, making it clear he'd nationalise nuclear energy, stuff those green billionaires investing in renewable energy. As he repeatedly assured the media that cost details would come later, it was hard at first to know which ghost was in the room, Ben Chifley for the nation building bit or Joh Bjelke Petersen for the "don't you worry about that" answers.
This year's Dutton has thrown out last year's appetite for details. Sure, we got the planned locations of the seven nuclear reactors but we'd already known about those for weeks.
There was no clarity on how the privately owned sites would be acquired by the Commonwealth. No detail on how a future Dutton government might get the states - some of which have their own nuclear energy bans - on board, let alone the federal Parliament. We'll negotiate, he fudged unconvincingly. After all, he didn't bother negotiating with his own party room when he ditched the 2030 emissions reduction target.
Awkwardly for Dutton, it was John Howard who banned nuclear energy in 1998, when his government accepted a Greens amendment to legislation enabling the construction of a new research reactor at Lucas Heights. That amendment put nuclear energy off the table. Those Greens still determine the fate of legislation in the Senate.
Admitting the first reactor, if all went to plan, wouldn't be online until the middle of next decade, Dutton provided scant detail about how setting down the long nuclear road would bring down prices this year or next - which is what most households fret about. Oh, there'll be more *sotto voce* coal and gas in the mix.
Last year's Dutton warned against taking risks with the constitution. This year's Dutton is taking the biggest political risk ever undertaken by an opposition leader. Bold, you might say. Visionary. Entertaining, even, from a party which struggled to get simple pork-barrelled commuter car parks built the last time it was in office.
This year's Dutton is right about one thing. We ought to be able to have a mature discussion about nuclear power.
But a mature conversation requires detail. Last year's Dutton insisted on it. This year's Dutton seems to have forgotten about that.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Will Dutton's nuclear plan work? Are you prepared to wait until next decade to see power prices come down? Can we have a mature conversation about nuclear energy without the details? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Vandals have smashed windows and set fire to the front of federal Labor MP Josh Burns' Melbourne electoral office, prompting him and other leaders to decry the "politically motivated attack". At least five people were seen near the office on Barkly Street in St Kilda about 3.20am on Wednesday, police were told.
- Anthony Albanese will become the third-highest-paid world leader, thanks to a pay rise that pushes his salary above that of US President Joe Biden. It will be the first time in history an Australian prime minister earns more than their US counterpart. All federal politicians will get a 3.5 per cent pay rise after a decision handed down by the independent Remuneration Tribunal on June 17.
- The Coalition is facing a battle with country Australians over its plan to build nuclear power plants in the regions, as many say they won't accept the risk or wait a decade for change. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has announced his long-awaited energy strategy, including proposed nuclear plants at coal power stations that have closed or are winding down.
THEY SAID IT: "Details matter. They create depth, and depth creates authenticity." - Neil Blumenthal
YOU SAID IT: Op shops are the front line in the fight against clothing waste.
"Your email touched a nerve," writes Clyde, 95. "I am a volunteer at an op shop. I believe they are a win/win situation. The donors of the books feel good at disposing of books they have read, the buyers get good books cheap (all $1) and the charity (Salvos) benefit. Sometimes rubbish is dumped at the door. I always say don't give to an op shop anything that you would be ashamed to give to a friend."
Janet writes: "I still have a shirt I bought in 1983. I've never caught the fast fashion bug. And now, I try and buy hemp clothes - hard but not impossible to find in the local shopping mall. Hemp is better for the environment than cotton."
"I love buying a new outfit," writes Margaret. "My rule: it must be preloved. Etsy has some wonderful clothes which have been worn. Sometimes never worn but not new. The Social Outfit is a charity which used material that would have gone to landfill or donated material. They employ people who need skills in dressmaking . They train people in this so they can get employment. They sell wonderful pieces of clothes. When you buy here you help the charity train more people. Buying preloved clothes helps stops the waste the clothing industry is perpetuating."
Sue writes: "For many years now I have bought only what I need to replace clothes which are no longer in good enough condition to wear to work. I don't throw them out until they fall apart, and as I am a competent seamstress, I can do necessary repairs, such as shorten slacks which used to be worn with high heeled shoes which I no longer wear and which have been given to charities."
"I post preloved clothes that I no longer wear on Buy Nothing," writes Caroline. "Photos display them. Often people get to know when a giver is the same size as them and when they post things they jump on saying they would love the items. There are so many clothes in op shops they often do not get displayed well but there can be wonderful finds - although they are often expensive as the charity wants to raise money for their services. Vinnies' new endeavour in Canberra, providing clothes free at the recycling centres starting in July, will be great. Giving away will save more going to landfill. Taking rags or non-wearable clothes to a recycling centre rather than throwing them in the bin ensures they are recycled."
Kay writes: "Don't get me started on high fashion. What a total waste of talent, time and money are these ridiculous items that are paraded on catwalks around the world. Surely nobody wears these clothes in real life. Yes, I am an op-shopper and a mender, and proud of my 40+ son who uses his power tool (sewing machine) to tailor his own trousers because he can't buy off-the-rack ones that fit him neatly."
"Once upon a time I would never have dreamt of going to an op shop," writes Cathy. "Now it's the thing to do, serving both the balanced budget and in some ways is a form of entertainment. Nothing is better than finding something you love, even better if it's a bargain. Having been a recipient of charity myself, I note that the most useful thing we ever received was cash. It gave us the dignity of making choices for ourselves, rather than having choices made for us. I am happy to contribute my cash to keep that flow of dignity through money in the pocket of others, that I know will happen if I buy from an op shop."
Elaine writes: "Having now achieved my OBE (no, not the Order of the British Empire, but Over Blooming Eighty) I am not interested in the latest fashion as it is all geared for the young. I just keep on wearing garments from my current wardrobe. Only recently, I took a suitcase full of good clothing to one of our op shops, not because I didn't like them but because I couldn't fit into them any more. One outfit was an Austrian dirndl that I bought on a trip there 40 years ago. Not only wouldn't it fit, I decided that such a garment would look ridiculous on me now, I no longer look like 'Cinderella' which one of my young students called me many years ago when I wore it to school one day. Ah, they were the days."