One Nation commits to coal-fired power and lifting nuclear ban in Victoria - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

One Nation has announced a platform commit to retaining coal-fired power in Victoria and lifting the state's ban on nuclear energy. The party framed the position as a response to energy security and cost-of-living concerns. No detail on timing, capacity, or funding was provided in the announcement.

Where this fits

This is a direct challenge to the renewables-only trajectory that has driven policy across most Australian states. One Nation is naming the core Energy Realism problem: a grid built on wind and solar alone requires massive investment in firming capacity, transmission, and storage to be reliable. Coal plants, whatever their emissions profile, provide dispatchable power and do not depend on imported batteries or processed minerals controlled by strategic rivals. Nuclear energy shares that advantage. The statement does not resolve the tension between these two technologies on cost and construction timeline, but it does acknowledge that firm power, not renewables, is the skeleton of a functioning grid.

What it means

Victoria's energy policy sits at a pivot point. The state has retired reliable coal capacity faster than replacement firming has been built or planned. If One Nation gains parliamentary leverage, it could slow or reverse this trajectory. The practical constraint remains: rebuilding coal takes years and immense capital; nuclear in Australia faces regulatory hurdles and long lead times regardless of legislative intent. The honest middle ground, that Australia needs firm dispatchable power to avoid blackouts and cost blowouts, has moved from the energy engineering literature into electoral politics. Whether that translates to actual grid investment, or remains a campaign statement, will determine whether Victoria's electricity system has the backbone to support the transition it has already begun.