Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume says Australia needs to be "open minded" on nuclear power if the country is to bring down emissions and make power cheaper.
Ms Hume, who was elected to her new position in Friday's Liberal leadership spill, wouldn't be drawn on policy specifics during an interview with the ABC's Insiders program but said nuclear power would help bring down prices over time.
"If people were open minded to the idea of lifting the moratorium on nuclear energy … well then that would add to that energy abundance that would bring prices down over time," she said.
When asked if the party had any plans beyond nuclear energy to bring emissions down, Ms Hume would not say whether there were further policy plans in development.
"I'm not announcing policy 48 hours after having been elected deputy leader of the Liberal Party before our first shadow cabinet meeting," she said.
"But what I will say is it's absolutely crazy to have an ideological approach towards energy because it's energy that drives our economy."
In 2025, Ms Hume fought for the Liberal Party to retain a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, which was subsequently dumped.
She would not say whether her personal view on net zero had changed since then.
"We won't be re-prosecuting that case in the party room, there is no reason why we cannot create more energy and increase supply of energy to bring those prices down."
In its latest report, the International Energy Agency found a net zero by 2050 framework was the best way to deliver cheaper household power.
Australia's national science organisation the CSIRO has also found that renewable energy supported by storage and gas was the
Labor's review of its 2025 election win, and the Coalition's worst-ever defeat, found the opposition's nuclear policy was a key part of its failure to win government.
"There was also strong opposition to the Coalition's nuclear energy policy with criticisms about the cost and the long delivery timelines," the review panel said.
"Voters felt that there was a lack of detail about nuclear energy, while the Coalition's flip-flop on working from home made voters question if the party was up to the job."
The Coalition is yet to release its election review, which former leader Peter Dutton has claimed is defamatory to him and his staff.
Capital gains tax clash on the horizon
Speaking at a shopping centre in Western Sydney on Sunday morning, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and Ms Hume said the Coalition would not be backing any changes to the capital gains tax (CGT) discount for owners of investment properties.
The federal government is considering a reduction in the tax discount ahead of the May federal budget.
Mr Taylor said the opposition would not back any changes to CGT.
"If you tax homes, you get less homes and right now we need more homes, not less," Ms Hume said.
Ms Hume told the ABC the matter had already been discussed in the party room.
"We've known this was coming from Labor, that they're reaching back into the grab bag of higher tax policies that Bill Shorten took to a previous election that he lost."
Childcare and migration on agenda
Both Mr Taylor and Ms Hume have criticised the government's plans for a universal childcare system in their first 48 hours as the party's new leadership team.
Ms Hume said families needed more choice and flexibility in who cared for their children.
"We want to make sure that we have a system that not only makes sure that families that want to return to the workplace and have their children cared for have that opportunity to do so, but they should also have a choice as to how they go about doing that," she said.
She would not say if the Coalition was considering giving families a subsidy to pay for a nanny to care for their children.
"It's pretty obvious, isn't it, that childcare as it is isn't working for working Australians," she said.
"It isn't working because it's costing around $16 billion a year to taxpayers at the same time we're subsidising both the workers and users of childcare, no wonder it's becoming so out of reach for every Australian."
The pair have also been heavily critical of the federal government's approach to migration, with Ms Hume calling for a "reset" on how it is managed.
"We want to see a lower number of people come to our country, but we also want to raise the standards," she said.
"Living in Australia is one of the greatest gifts that could ever be given to anybody, which is why we want to make sure that the people that come here share our belief."
She would not say why the current citizenship test, which includes questions on values, is not sufficient, describing the matter as "a policy decision for another day after I have met with the shadow cabinet".
Mr Taylor said any changes proposed by the Coalition would not be about keeping any particular religious groups out of Australia.
"The door has been open to people who do not believe in our way of life," he said.
Mr Taylor would not say how the opposition would like to see that happen.
"We will announce more detailed initiatives over time."
