Back to the final question in the PM’s press conference, Albanese is asked:

On the Smart Energy Council report [when it comes to nuclear] at the top end it says that Coalition’s nuclear plan could cost $600bn and in a best case scenario it could cost as little as $116 billion so do you accept if the Coalition gets it right, that cost could be below 600 billion?

Albanese:

I noticed Peter Dutton not only got nasty with the Prime Minister but with the Smart Energy Council. When ever anyone disagrees, he gets nasty. He said he would smile more but we have seen the opposite.

Taking a group like the Smart Energy Council because they dare to disagree with him and point out the holes in his policy… What the council has done is look at the work for the Liberal Party [offering] and found massive holes in it, for example…they assume a 40% smaller economy.

They have assumed no aluminum, no steel making, no heavy industry because that is what a 40% smaller economy looks like, there are holes all through their costings, you could make the case Smart Energy Council has been conservative because when you look at the cost blowout around the world, with a Hinckley or wherever, there are massive cost blowouts in nuclear and Peter Dutton and Ted O’Brien have no answers.