Collie residents open-minded about nuclear future after Coalition's election lossJBy Jacqueline LynchABC South West WATopic:Nuclear Energy1h ago1 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 11:01pmThe town of Collie was one of seven sites earmarked to host a nuclear reactor. (ABC South West WA: Jacqueline Lynch)In short:WA mining and energy town Collie was one of seven sites around the country where the Coalition proposed building a nuclear power plant.Residents have told the ABC they remain open-minded about a nuclear power plant despite the Coalition's election loss.What's next?Community leaders say any revival of the plan will depend on the opposition's ability to answer locals' questions.abc.net.au/news/collie-locals-nuclear-future-post-2025-election/105265538Link copiedShareShare articleResidents of a West Australian mining town slated for one of the federal Coalition's proposed nuclear power plants remain open-minded about the policy as the recriminations from Peter Dutton's election loss continue.Collie, 200 kilometres south of Perth, was one of seven towns picked by the opposition to host a nuclear reactor.It was chosen due to its position at the centre of WA's largest electricity grid.While the opposition failed to carry a single booth in the town, Liberal Member for O'Connor Rick Wilson enjoyed a two-candidate-preferred swing of more than 15 per cent across parts of the community.But technical challenges — the nature of WA's grid meant Collie would require a small modular reactor — and Mr Dutton's decision not to visit the town during the campaign left residents with more questions than answers.By contrast, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and WA Premier Roger Cook spruiked Labor's battery energy developments when they visited the town late in the campaign.'Keep talking' about itJulia Larking is among the residents supportive of nuclear power.She hoped discussions about it would continue."I was quite keen on nuclear myself," she said."I think it would be very good to do further investigation and put it on the long-term plan because they take a long time to build."They're installed worldwide with success. Cheap base load power is what's missing in the plan at the moment and nuclear would have provided that."Julia Larking would like to see nuclear discussions continue. (ABC South West WA: Jacqueline Lynch)Corey Graham said he was worried the Coalition's election loss represented a backwards step for what he thought were important conversations to be had about nuclear."They should always keep talking about it but they need to set how long it's going to take and how much money it's going to take because it's coming out of taxpayer money," he said.Corey Graham says he would like to see some of the questions around nuclear answered. (ABC South West WA: Jacqueline Lynch)It is unclear if nuclear will stay on the Coalition's agenda.Collie Shire president Ian Miffling, one of a few people in the community to speak directly with Mr Dutton about the proposal, said the result left the plan "dead in the water".Ian Miffling says any future push for nuclear would need to be clearly explained. (ABC South West WA: Jacqueline Lynch)He said any revival of the plan would hinge on providing clear answers to the community's questions."Unless someone came to us in the future and said, 'Look, here is a renewed proposal, here is a new policy, what do you think about it?' … we're not going to waste any time worrying about it," he said."I think we've got more important things in Collie to think about and do."With the Liberals absent from the field it was left up to nuclear advocates such as Grace Stanke to back in the plan, visiting Collie during a national tour backed by Dick Smith.Heather Gangell says plans for nuclear should be taken off the table. (ABC South West WA: Jacqueline Lynch)Lifelong Liberal voter and Collie resident Heather Gangell said her opposition to nuclear power was one of the main reasons she changed her vote."It's the first time in my life I actually voted Labor this time, instead of Liberal," she said."Everybody has their views. I for one don't want it [because] what are they going to do with all the waste?"Nuclear debate to continueLiberal Member for Durack, Melissa Price, told ABC Perth Radio the nuclear policy was not behind the party's worst-ever election loss."When we first announced it, I thought this is pretty gutsy," she said."The Australian public aren't mugs, they've figured out themselves that the renewable revolution just ain't going to cut it to keep the lights on and to make our energy affordable."The Coalition has retained several seats across Australia that had been slated for nuclear, including O'Connor — which encompasses Collie and an area of southern WA larger than South Australia.Rick Wilson had presented the nuclear plan to Ian Miffling before the election. (ABC South West WA: Kate Forrester)"I think [this] sends a clear message that Labor's renewables-only policy does not wash with such an energy-aware workforce," Mr Wilson wrote on social media.Some Liberal MPs viewed the election thumping, which resulted in Opposition Leader Peter Dutton losing his own seat, as a clear sign of voters' rejection of nuclear.Other high-profile Coalition MPs have indicated they would like to see nuclear remain on the cards, and Nationals leader David Littleproud claimed the policy was not the reason for the election loss.Posted 1h ago1 hours agoWed 7 May 2025 at 11:01pmShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top Stories'He was that toxic': 600 unused posters tell the story of Dutton's failed campaignTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows Backlit photo of a Dutton press conference, his silhouette centred in front of a microphoneAustralia's best sports rights in the hands of a Soviet-born, former oil tycoonTopic:Media IndustryWoman under police guard after house fire that killed three childrenTopic:FiresPhoto shows House fire Harristown'Offensive': PM unleashes on ousted Greens MPTopic:Government and PoliticsPhoto shows A composite image of two men wearing suits sitting in the House of Representatives.The election result makes the nuclear fight even tougher for the CoalitionDAnalysis by David SpeersPhoto shows PETER DUTTON SPEERS COLUMN 1Related storiesNationals MPs '100 per cent' back nuclear being kept as Coalition dissects lossTopic:Federal GovernmentPhoto shows A man in a shirt and hat.Plan or mirage? 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