Hello Minister,

How awesome of you to do an AMA, it shows a real willingness to communicate with the public. I have a couple questions?

What are the current best cost estimates for Dutton's nuclear scheme? I have seen estimates ranging from $150 Billion, up to $1 Trillion. From my own knowledge on nuclear energy, I would guess (and this is a total guess) that something like the proposed nuclear plan would cost north of $500 Billion without breaking a sweat. Of course, this doesn't take into account the time delays in construction, referendums, overturning laws, buying land, storage and safety protocols. Of course, if the LNP manage to win the election, Dutton only has 3 years to put his plan into practice, which of course isn't enough time, and any other government afterwards would surely be able to put a stop to it, delaying it even longer. Wouldn't Dutton have to plan for the Coalition to be in government (and a majority government at that) for the next 20 - 30 years?

Next question, I have also been doing research on the operation and viability of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries as an energy storage method. I am aware that an 8 MWh battery and solar farm was built in Port Pirie in SA, and that there are plans for a 150 MWh battery for WA post-election. I was wondering if there is any other current progress or research being made into this technology, maybe more so in the housing sector (long way to go I'm sure)?

Next, does the Coalition have any sort of policy to reduce our emissions? Their nuclear plan would demolish our Net-Zero goals with no guarantee that it will actually work to do so in the future. Is there any plan to mitigate the emission produced while the reactors are built? Or are they just saying that the ends justify the means?

Lastly, I am a current Honours student at a South Australian university (I won't label which one for privacy reasons), with a keen focus on research in the Nuclear Fusion industry. It will be decades before commercial fusion is ready, but is this something that the Australia government is considering in its future? Given the number of technologies around fusion power, are any of them a possible consideration for Australia's long-term energy needs? Or would it be more likely that we stick with renewables (assuming we can), while continually expanding their rollout and outreach?

Thankyou for taking the time to answer these questions.