Sam Armytage has tackled the energy crisis facing Australia after thousands of people lost power this week due to heatwave outages across the country.
The summer host of Channel Nine’s Today Show made the comments during a discussion about nuclear power on Wednesday morning.
Armytage drew attention to the fact that Australians were discouraged from using electricity during intense heat.
“I think there was a warning yesterday to people in western Sydney if you want to use your electricity today during a heatwave, you know, does that now become a choice?
‘Do you use your electricity or not? I mean, we are a modern country.
‘We can’t live like this, can we? With all the resources we have here.’
Queensland Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said earlier in the discussion that Australians should decide on nuclear power at the ballot box.
He was responding to Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie’s statement that the state’s voters did not support Peter Dutton’s nuclear power plan.
Sam Armytage drew attention to the fact that Australians were discouraged from using electricity during intense heat
“The people of Queensland were not given a choice on nuclear energy at the last election because both the LNP and Labor were against nuclear energy,” Canavan said.
“The people of Queensland and the people of Australia must decide this issue, and they will have the opportunity to decide that at the next election – it will effectively be on the ballot.
‘If you want reliable and cheaper energy, nuclear energy is the best choice. That’s what all the numbers show. That is why thirty countries around the world are building nuclear power plants.’
But nine political correspondent Heidi Murphy said she didn’t see any of the states backing it.
“I know here in Victoria it’s an absolute no from Labor, who will be in power for at least another two years,” Murphy said.
‘And the local coalition is not joining in either. So if no state supports it, I don’t know how it will ultimately be feasible.
“I think Australians are open to the idea of hearing something cheaper and cleaner. They can be convinced. I think it is the wrong step to completely close the door on the debate.
‘We want lower energy bills and we want reliable power. Those should be the two starting points for every conversation.’
High-profile businessman Dick Smith told Daily Mail Australia losing power during hot weather was ‘the new normal’ for Aussies
On Tuesday afternoon, as NSW sweltered under a heatwave, more than 6,600 homes and businesses were without power due to outages across the state. In some of the affected areas, temperatures reached 37 degrees Celsius.
And on Monday night, 10,000 homes in Victoria also lost power in a blackout that Victoria’s Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio attributed to “extreme heat and high winds.”
High-profile businessman Dick Smith told Daily Mail Australia that power cuts during hot weather have become ‘the new normal’ for Australians.
‘That is why I am a big supporter of nuclear energy. “What’s happening now is going to continue to get worse,” Smith said.
‘Seventy years ago, when I was a young child, we had frequent blackouts. You came home and the power went out for an hour or two.
“Then we had the most incredible reliability because of the base load of coal.
‘We now rely too much on renewable energy sources without storage. Unfortunately, having sufficient (battery) storage would make electricity too expensive.’
Mr Smith said he was “positive” about Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s announcement on Friday about the costs of his nuclear plan.
‘I have absolutely no doubt that we will have to switch to nuclear energy. The longer we wait, the worse it will be for our grandchildren as they have to deal with climate change.”