Speaking at the Australian Uranium Conference in Fremantle yesterday, Ferguson said Australia needed to “get serious” about its energy security.

“I say to the nation we’re going to have an energy debate in the lead-up to the next election and it’s going to include a debate about downstream processing and additional opportunities for jobs in Australia,” he said.

“It’s going to be about reducing our reliance on foreign oil, the instability of the Middle East and developing more, for example, our great Western Australian gas resources and supplying potentially clean diesel for our nation.

“This is a complex debate and the Prime Minister is missing [on these issues].”

Describing the issue of energy security as the “new cold war”, Ferguson argued that Australia’s future was with clean coal, gas and renewable energy – not nuclear power.

“Labor’s position is clear … nuclear power is not needed in Australia and the platform will remain unchanged,” he said.