Acting PM Richard Marles accuses Peter Dutton of spreading ‘misinformation’ as energy debate goes nuclear

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles has accused Peter Dutton of spreading misinformation after the Opposition leader blasted the Federal Government for refusing to join its AUKUS allies in a new nuclear energy pact.

Mr Dutton said Australia was becoming an “international embarrassment” after Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen snubbed an offer from the US and UK to help fast-track nuclear energy technology to cut emissions and shore up the energy grid.

Despite the UK initially declaring Australia was “expected” to join the agreement, Labor never intended to sign up given nuclear energy was banned in the country.

Speaking on ABC Breakfast, Mr Marles said the new nuclear energy pact was entirely separate to the AUKUS deal as he criticised Mr Dutton for attempting to link the two.

“I think the Opposition Leader is intentionally seeking to conflate two ideas here and frankly spread a form of misinformation really,” Mr Marles said.

“We don’t have a civil nuclear industry.

“This is an agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States to cooperate in respect of their civil nuclear industries. And so it’s simply not an agreement which would apply to that.”

Mr Marles turned the tables on Mr Dutton, saying what was “embarrassing” was the Opposition’s desire to establish a civil nuclear energy industry in Australia despite warnings about the eye-watering cost and timeframes.

“And that’s embarrassing because it would be pursuing for Australia the single most expensive form of electricity on the planet, like twelve hundred dollars on each and every household’s budget, power bills,” Mr Marles said.

Coalition frontbencher James Paterson said Labor’s rigid anti-nuclear stance meant Australia was an outlier on the world stage.

“And it is a discredit to our country that others who are serious about acting on climate change and providing reliable, affordable energy for their countries are moving on this and that we are being left behind,” he said.