Anti-nuclear protesters appear at Dutton campaign event in Gilmore, NSW, clashing with voters and delaying press conference
Peter Dutton's campaign event in the ultra-marginal seat of Gilmore has been interrupted by wild anti-nuclear protesters, causing the Opposition Leader's press conference to be delayed.
The Opposition Leader appeared in Sanctuary Point, on the NSW south coast to announce $3.5 million for upgraded stadium facilities at a local football club.
But the event, which featured the local junior football team was hijacked by at least three individuals dressed in white radiation suits with nuclear symbols on the back, using Geiger counters.
Mr Dutton was scheduled to hold a press conference at the football ground, but the protest impacted plans with the leader and Liberal candidate for Gilmore Andrew Constance postponing the media event.
One of the protesters, South Coast Labor Council Secretary Arthur Roriss, said they were 'alerting people as to Australia's nuclear future'.
'We're just suited up for our own protection here,' Mr Roriss told the media.
'This is what the future looks like under a Dutton government … get used to the face masks, get used to the radiation suits folks because this is energy in Australia under a Dutton government.'
He said they 'represent the workers that Mr Dutton expects to subject themselves to danger'.
'We haven't forgotten Fukushima, we haven't forgotten Chernobyl … it's working people and working class communities that pay the price.'
The union leader's comments echo scare campaigns run by the Labor Party on the safety of nuclear energy which has been widely rubbished.
A furious football coach confronted Mr Roriss, telling him, 'you're an absolute muppet mate, for showing up and doing this.'
'The kids here want to play sport … you are absolute idiots.'
'You're a muppet mate.'
Two locals from Nuclear for Australia also hit out at the protesters, slamming them as being ignorant about the facts on nuclear.
'I think this is ridiculous … they're ignorant, they don't know the facts and they're just scaremongering,' one man told Sky News.
The woman with him blasted the activists' remarks as 'ridiculous' and 'untruth'.
The man added: 'Every developed country in the world has got nuclear, never been an issue … there have been accidents of course, I'm not silly, but modern technology, there are all the safeguards and that.'
'We should have it as part of the mix.'
Liberal candidate for Gilmore Andrew Constance condemned the protesters' actions, saying they were there to 'completely destroy an incredible community event'.
'This is the behaviour of the Labor party, we're going to put community first in this election, Labor about themselves,' Mr Constance said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Government relying on Latham for workers' compensation reforms
Maverick MP Mark Latham has indicated he is open to supporting the government's workers' compensation reforms, but only with a raft of amendments, while the Coalition hopes it can roll back a tightening of criteria for long-term payouts. The public accountability and works committee received a confidential briefing from Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and bureaucrats on Thursday, aiming to allay concerns about the drivers of Labor's plan to curtail access to compensation for psychological injuries. Two years after Premier Chris Minns refused to work with Latham, the dynamics of the seven-person committee have left the rogue MP with the casting vote on whether the legislation will return for a vote during budget week, in late June, or whether the inquiry continues indefinitely. After the government's reforms were referred for a second interrogation by a parliamentary inquiry, their fate hinged in part on Thursday's briefing. Mookhey has said that without reform the system will collapse while rising premiums push businesses under. But the Coalition, Greens and upper house independents have questioned government efforts to jam the legislation through parliament, particularly given a key plank of the reforms would cut off compensation for some of the state's sickest workers. Loading The second inquiry was established to allow crossbenchers to interrogate assumptions underpinning Mookhey's reforms. A public hearing will take place on Tuesday, a month after a snap inquiry heard only 27 of the hundreds of employees impaired by workplace psychological injury each year would be eligible to claim long-term benefits under the minimum 31 per cent Whole of Person Impairment (WPI) rating proposed by the government. Describing Thursday's briefing as 'fairly useful', Latham said some aspects of the workers' compensation reforms introduced by the Victorian Labor government in March 2024 were superior as they dealt with the long-term structural problem of nebulous claims, where the link between injury and a claimant's work is unclear. While he would prefer the bill to be voted on by June's end, Latham said he would not rubber stamp the legislation, seeking to amend it to include the 'best of the Victorian reforms', including tightening definitions around bullying and harassment to restrict claims.
The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
Government relying on Latham for workers' compensation reforms
Maverick MP Mark Latham has indicated he is open to supporting the government's workers' compensation reforms, but only with a raft of amendments, while the Coalition hopes it can roll back a tightening of criteria for long-term payouts. The public accountability and works committee received a confidential briefing from Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and bureaucrats on Thursday, aiming to allay concerns about the drivers of Labor's plan to curtail access to compensation for psychological injuries. Two years after Premier Chris Minns refused to work with Latham, the dynamics of the seven-person committee have left the rogue MP with the casting vote on whether the legislation will return for a vote during budget week, in late June, or whether the inquiry continues indefinitely. After the government's reforms were referred for a second interrogation by a parliamentary inquiry, their fate hinged in part on Thursday's briefing. Mookhey has said that without reform the system will collapse while rising premiums push businesses under. But the Coalition, Greens and upper house independents have questioned government efforts to jam the legislation through parliament, particularly given a key plank of the reforms would cut off compensation for some of the state's sickest workers. Loading The second inquiry was established to allow crossbenchers to interrogate assumptions underpinning Mookhey's reforms. A public hearing will take place on Tuesday, a month after a snap inquiry heard only 27 of the hundreds of employees impaired by workplace psychological injury each year would be eligible to claim long-term benefits under the minimum 31 per cent Whole of Person Impairment (WPI) rating proposed by the government. Describing Thursday's briefing as 'fairly useful', Latham said some aspects of the workers' compensation reforms introduced by the Victorian Labor government in March 2024 were superior as they dealt with the long-term structural problem of nebulous claims, where the link between injury and a claimant's work is unclear. While he would prefer the bill to be voted on by June's end, Latham said he would not rubber stamp the legislation, seeking to amend it to include the 'best of the Victorian reforms', including tightening definitions around bullying and harassment to restrict claims.
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Nuclear Science expert Dr Adi Paterson criticises Labor's current energy policy and targets for zero carbon renewables amid soaring power bills
A top Australian energy scientist has questioned how Labor's current energy policy could deliver cost effective solutions to consumers on dilute renewables amid soaring power bills. The former head of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Dr Adi Paterson, told Sky News on Friday evening that the cheapest form of energy is nuclear plus renewables and as few batteries as possible. Despite his expertise in nuclear energy, Mr Paterson said he could not understand how the government thinks its current policy is the best way to provide low cost to consumers. "I cannot understand how our government thinks that the current energy policy, which is based on dilute renewables, can get us to a really reliable low cost to consumers, the cost at the meter," he told Sky News host Steve Price. "This government fundamentally mixes up the cost at the fence of the facility, which is really cheap if you do solar and wind, with the cost of the meter to the consumer, which goes up if you have too much solar and wind. "And we know that the cheapest form of energy working with renewables, not fighting with renewables, is nuclear plus renewables and as few batteries as possible. "We're pursuing this crazy dream which is on the input side of the energy is we want to be a world leader in zero carbon with renewables, which has never been done anywhere and which is a grave mistake." This comes as NSW Premier Chris Minns announced on Thursday the government would hold talks to to save the potential collapse of the nation's largest aluminium smelter as it struggles with crippling power bills and poor availability of renewable energy. Rio Tinto-owned Tomago, located north of Newcastle, is reportedly seeking billions of dollars in public funds to prevent collapse. The producer uses about 10 per cent of NSW's power supply and makes about 37 per cent of Australia's primary aluminium. Its collapse could lead to more than 1,000 people losing their jobs, while 5,000 indirect workers could suffer. NSW Premier Chris Minns stressed Tomago was a 'big employer in NSW, it's a dynamic part of the state, the Hunter and manufacturing is a big part of its future'. 'It's difficult for me to speculate about what the next steps are,' Mr Minns told reporters. 'In order for us to have an effective intervention, we need to have commercial discussions with the owners and operators of (Tomago). That's what we're doing.'
