Last year, after announcing his nuclear energy policy, Peter Dutton said that the next election would be a referendum on this policy. Well he lost the referendum. Let that be the end of discussion of nuclear power plants in Australia.
Instead, the lesson the Coalition should learn from this election is that it is time to end the climate wars. The Coalition’s obstruction of real action on climate change has done untold damage. Even if Peter Dutton isn’t sure if climate change is real, after severe droughts, bushfires and floods, the public wants action.
No one is saying the transition to a carbon-neutral economy will be easy. To make it work and to capitalise on the opportunities it presents requires bi-partisan support and an end to mischievous misinformation campaigns.