Dutton goes NUCLEAR during fiery meltdown at ABC reporter and accuses national broadcaster of pushing an ‘ideological’ agenda
- Opposition leader in heated argument with ABC journalist over energy plan
- Claims the taxpayer-funded broadcaster has been playing political games
The Opposition Leader made the comments while speaking to reporters in Busselton on Friday, about a three-hour drive south of Perth, about plans to build a reactor in the nearby town of Collie.
The tense exchange took place after the ABC reporter said she had not seen Mr Dutton speak to a “single member of the public”, despite the majority of Collie residents supporting the Coalition’s nuclear strategy.
“Look, I understand the ABC’s position,” he replied.
‘The ABC has an ideological position on this. That’s a problem for you.
‘It doesn’t really matter to me. I’m not interested in politics at the ABC. You can all be advocates and play your game.”
Peter Dutton has accused the national broadcaster of taking an ‘ideological position’ on nuclear energy and playing political games
The ABC reporter told Mr Dutton she had no “bias” as the encounter intensified and instead accused him of “a prejudice against the ABC’.
She then repeated her question, asking Mr Dutton why he had “not met the people” in Collie, prompting another spray from the Opposition Leader.
“I think your position as an advocate is fine… but when you work at the ABC, I just think your job is to be impartial and that’s not what you do,” he said.
His comments about the ABC’s bias come after taxpayer-funded current affairs program Four Corners suggested nuclear reactors used in Georgia, US, had increased energy bills by ‘hundreds of dollars’.
That report was in stark contrast to Mr Dutton’s claims that nuclear power would lower prices.
Mr Dutton says there will always be people with different views on nuclear energy
Dutton had a 90-minute meeting with residents on Thursday evening, but it was interrupted by anti-nuclear protesters.
He called it a ‘very good, positive discussion’ and accepted there would be objections to the plan.
“There will be people for and against different energy sources,” he said.
“It is our responsibility to make the decisions that will keep our economy strong in the future.”
Mr Dutton also announced that, if elected, the Coalition would scrap Labour’s recently announced plans to build offshore wind farms off the coast of the Bunbury region, about 32 miles from Busselton.