Scrap nuclear: Key Liberal senator wants radioactive energy plan buried
The Liberal Party is set for a pivotal clash over nuclear power after a key senator broke ranks to urge her colleagues to dump their plans for atomic energy, shaping the choice over the party's leadership and direction.
The warning from Liberal senator Maria Kovacic marks the first public rejection of the nuclear plan from a member of the federal party room ahead of a broader debate about how to recover from the catastrophic defeat at the election.
The move comes as deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor contest a tight race to decide the leadership, with each side approaching immigration spokesman Dan Tehan to serve as deputy.
A damaging leak of internal polling, revealed by this masthead on Tuesday, has also fuelled discontent within the party, as MPs criticise the party's pollster, Freshwater Strategy, for providing data that that gave Liberal leader Peter Dutton a false sense of confidence.
Kovacic said the election campaign showed that younger voters did not support the nuclear policy, based on her experience with Liberal candidates at polling stations, and that the party needed to listen to the verdict from voters last Saturday.
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'We know how tough it is out there, and we didn't offer Australian voters a legitimate alternative – and they sent that message very, very clearly on Saturday,' she said.
'And we can't deny the fact that our nuclear plan was a part of that because it was one of the keystone policies.
'So it's my view that the Liberal Party must immediately scrap the nuclear energy plan and back the private market's investment in renewable energy.'
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