Rick Wilson claims election results in Collie show the community supported the Coalition’s nuclear policy

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Rick Wilson claims election results in Collie show the community supported the Coalition’s nuclear policy

With the Coalition’s comprehensive defeat at the Federal election, their controversial nuclear policy will remain dormant for at least another three years.

However, O’Connor MP Rick Wilson says the results in Collie suggests there may have been significant support for the proposal.

Mr Wilson — who easily won a fifth term — said a strong voter base for the Liberal Party in Collie was evidence the community supported the proposed nuclear reactor in the area.

Results showed a 13 per cent swing towards the party in the two-candidate preferred vote at Collie booths, with Mr Wilson receiving 45.2 per cent — up from 32.2 per cent in 2022.

Labor candidate Darren Moir still won the area overall, but the party’s vote in Collie fell from 67.8 per cent in 2022 to 54.8 per cent in 2025.

“I think the strong swing towards me in the Collie region shows the Collie community is supportive of the Coalition’s energy plan and can see through Labor’s renewable energy policy,” Mr Wilson said.

“Obviously we as a Liberal party need to come together and look at what worked and what didn’t during the election campaign.

“No doubt nuclear as a policy will be discussed, but I am a supporter of nuclear energy and I think it will have a positive effective on Australia’s energy supply and help bring jobs and opportunity to the Collie community.”

Tania Urmee, a professor of engineering and energy at Murdoch University, has a research focus on energy policy, sustainability and the transition to low carbon.

She said there were a number of regulatory barriers which prevented nuclear policy getting off the ground, such as an unrealistic timeline, legislation banning nuclear power in Australia and a lack of community and political support.

Camera IconTania Urmee is a professor of engineering and energy at Murdoch University Credit: Supplied

Ms Urmee said there was also a “economic misinterpretation”. The Coalition’s claim nuclear would cut power bills by 44 per cent, for example, was unsubstantiated.

But, she said, the situation in Collie was unique because the town’s historical dependency on the Muja coal-fired power station — which is set to be retired in 2030 — meant a replacement industry was needed.

“They probably are viewing nuclear as a potential economic replacement of that,” she said.

“If you look at the other parts of the Australia, the community acceptance is very important, and it was not in favour of nuclear.”

Ms Urmee said clean energy in Australia was “low-hanging fruit” due to the abundance of renewable resources.

“I think Australia is at its very critical place for the energy transition, and the nuclear debate distracts from the immediate gain that renewable energy, energy efficiency or grid modernisation can bring,” she said.

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