Generating chaos

Just when we thought Australia's years of climate wars were over amid fresh seas of solar and wind farms, would-be prime minister Peter Dutton has gone nuclear.

- Bernard Lagan

The opposition leader's late-June announcement that, if elected, he would build seven nuclear power plants to begin operating from 2035, has fully charged politics ahead of an election due within 14 months.

Dutton has gambled his electoral future on a plan that would renationalise the nation's electricity system, employ nuclear energy for power generation - though that's illegal currently - and halt the nation's efforts to meet near-term emissions-reduction targets. Under the plan, Australia would abandon its commitment to meeting an emissions reduction target of 43% by 2030.

Not since the Ferrari-driving John Hewson launched his 650-page Fightback! economic manifesto in 1992 has an opposition leader flung down such a crazy-brave proposal. Hewson sank beneath his own mass of detail, memorably struggling to explain on live television if a birthday cake would cost less or more under his proposed consumption tax.