Australians’ support for nuclear power ban rises despite Dutton’s best efforts to sell atomic future, survey finds

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has proposed former coal power sites for nuclear development, claiming it will balance the energy mix and lower costs. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Support for Australia’s ongoing ban on nuclear energy has risen sharply since Peter Dutton made the issue a central plank of Coalition energy policy, according to the country’s largest independent survey on climate change and energy.

The survey also found fewer people thought any benefits of nuclear power outweighed the risks compared with the previous year.