Liberals Against Nuclear has welcomed Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's decision to reverse his unpopular work-from-home policy for public servants, while urging the same political flexibility be applied to the Coalition's nuclear energy policy.
Andrew Gregson, spokesperson for Liberals Against Nuclear, said Mr Dutton's ability to recognise and respond to voter feedback on the work-from-home issue demonstrated exactly the type of adaptive leadership needed regarding the nuclear policy.
"Peter Dutton has shown he can listen to voters and change course when a policy is proving unpopular," Mr Gregson said. "His willingness to say 'we have listened' on the public service issue is commendable. We now urge him to apply that same political flexibility to the $600 billion nuclear power plan that's alienating voters across the country.
"The latest Newspoll showing Labor extending its election-winning lead confirms what our polling has already told us – the Coalition is struggling to connect with voters, especially women, and nuclear is a major factor in this disconnect."
Mr Gregson noted that just as the work-from-home policy had negative favorability ratings among voters, particularly women, the nuclear policy is experiencing similar rejection from the electorate, with only 35% of Australians supporting it.
"When a policy is demonstrably unpopular and contradicts core Liberal values of lower taxes, smaller government, and free markets, there's no shame in changing course," Mr Gregson added. "In fact, it shows political maturity and a genuine commitment to representing voters' interests."
The organisation pointed to the Coalition's disendorsement of Ben Britton and the clarification on public service job cuts as further evidence that the party leadership is capable of adjusting its stance on controversial issues.
"We're simply asking for consistent application of this political wisdom. If the Coalition can show flexibility on work arrangements for existing public servants, surely it can reconsider a policy that would add thousands more public servants to regulate and operate nuclear plants, while adding $665 to the average household's annual power bill during a cost-of-living crisis.”
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