An eastern Victorian MP says the new small modular reactor technology should be part of Australia's future energy mix as the federal and state Labor governments rapidly shift away from coal and gas.
Jeff Bourman said local coal communities in his upper house electorate are livid with the government's policy shift away from coal:
"To say they're livid is an understatement. Coal is now being treated (how) nuclear was in the '80s that there is no possible way forward with coal."
"But I'm going to put to everyone else that's cheering the downing of the coal industry and the way renewables take over everything, they'll be feeling a little unhappy on a 45 degree day when everyone's got their air conditioners on and all of a sudden the air conditioners and the lights go out because it's too still or the solar cells get a little too hot. It's not capable of providing a baseload."
Hear the full interview with Shooters Fishers and Farmers MP Jeff Bourman covering forestry, shooting, energy and the handling of COVID-19 on the Flow podcast player below: