Peter Dutton's nuclear power policy is about to go through an early stress test

No-one doubts Peter Dutton has a huge task to sell his radical nuclear plan, with many experts throwing buckets of cold water over it. But on Thursday the opposition leader received some welcome backing.

Parliament is about to start its final fortnight before a winter break, giving the government the chance for sustained king hits on the nuclear policy. And, "you would have us believe that a mob who'd struggle to assemble an IKEA flat-pack are going to start from scratch and be able to develop a nuclear energy industry in Australia".It'll be about much more than that but energy – the government's transition progress, the opposition's response – will be a central battleground.

There's also the criticism the Coalition's plan is pitched so far into the future it could create a big gap in the middle of Australia's energy transition.Dutton has abandoned Australia's 2030 emissions reduction target; the renewed climate and energy wars are likely to hit investor confidence; and it's not clear to what degree a Coalition government would slow the renewables rollout.

Michelle Grattan Peter Dutton Ziggy Switkowski

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