Labor’s ‘Nuclear Kangaroo Court’

It’s Sunday afternoon, October 27, and I’ve just finished watching Dan Repacholi – Labor MP and chairman of the House Select Committee on Nuclear Energy – telling Australians on Facebook that nuclear energy is, now and forever, slow to build, dangerous and obscenely expensive.

Repacholi, the latest protégé of Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, has made it crystal clear that Labor, the Greens, and the Teals have no intention of ever supporting nuclear energy, let alone lifting the ban.

According to him, Australia’s “best interest” is an energy grid dominated by renewables.

Repacholi’s committee is due by April 30, 2025, but given his casual weekend commentary, what is the point of this inquiry?

The answer is “Bowenism Down Under”.

In keeping with the worst traditions of McCarthyism, “Bowenism Down Under” is all about false allegations, fear mongering, and insinuations—now reinforced with social media manipulation—to uphold the Labor/Green/Teal narrative that renewables are the “cheapest, best, and most reliable” energy source and that nuclear power should remain banned.

This narrative is spoon-fed to us with a parade of dissenting world-renowned nuclear scientists, “thought leaders”, engineers, and community representatives before a costly taxpayer funded parliamentary inquiry. 

Here, Repacholi sits elevated, reading out carefully constructed questions aimed not at genuine inquiry, but at discrediting dissenting participants’ statements and disparaging their character.

To date, neither objectivity nor genuine fact-finding has been evident. “Bowenism” is the government’s attempt to shut down opposition to its renewables ideology—and that’s the real point of this inquiry.

This sham parliamentary inquiry is further proof that the elites and activists are committed to dismantling opposition, both openly and behind closed doors, whether it’s the Misinformation Bill or the $131 million Labor is spending on self-promotional messaging.

Behind the scenes, there’s social media campaigns (including fake “community groups,” profiles, and trolls), hundreds of faceless staffers and well-paid “smart energy” lobbyists, and corporate deals stitched up for “renewable” projects revealed to taxpayers only after being signed.

Labor’s “Bowenism” continues to ensure that the elites and activists twist the levers of government to push its own narratives, stifle reasoned debate, discredit dissenters, and retain power.

“Bowenism” must be called out.

Parliamentary inquiries should be about getting to the truth, not “kangaroo courts” where just one side of the debate rules supreme.