The coalition's nuclear power pledge has come under scrutiny as the opposition leader toured a must-win seat near the proposed site of one-of-seven reactors.
Peter Dutton has pledged to build seven nuclear reactors at a cost of at least $330 billion, saying it will bring power prices down, despite the claim being disputed by experts who say wind and solar are Australia's cheapest renewable resources.
One of those sites is at the Liddell coal-fired power plant near the seats of Hunter and Paterson on the NSW north coast.
Speaking at a Cougar Mining factory in Tomago, Mr Dutton said transitioning the decommissioned coal plant to a nuclear site would sustain the local economy.
"In the Hunter and elsewhere, to be honest, people realise that if there's not a replacement industry for coal, then these jobs go," he said.
"As we've seen in the UK, in the US and in Canada, there's about almost an 80 per cent transfer of jobs from the coal sector across to the nuclear sector."
But key parts of the policy remain unanswered including the size of the reactor, how much waste it would produce and where the waste would go.
Mr Dutton has previously said the waste would be the size of a coke can but when asked on Monday, said the amount "depends on the size of the reactor".
Estimates put waste at many thousands of times more than the size of a coke can.
He pointed to the government's commitment to dispose of waste from nuclear-powered submarines in the 2050s and the safe disposal of waste from the medical nuclear site at Lucas Heights.
"That's all dealt with safely," he said.
Labor has savaged the nuclear policy, with Energy Minister Chris Bowen having his department run the numbers from the coalition's modelling.
It found the coalition's costings were based on the assumption the power grid would be significantly smaller than Labor's renewable energy plan.
Massive chunks of capital costs had been pushed outside the period modelled and the cost of extending coal plants set to close, such as refurbishments, until nuclear came online weren't reflected in the price tag, Mr Bowen added.
"Peter Dutton is desperately trying to hide the true cost of his $600 billion nuclear scheme," Mr Bowen said.
But Mr Dutton remained focused on selling his gas policy as an interim measure to bring down energy prices until his nuclear plan comes into effect.
Both Hunter and Paterson are held by Labor on slim margins of less than five per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively, with the coalition looking to pick up the blue-collar seats that traditionally rely on mining.
Mr Dutton also visited flood-affected areas in western Queensland alongside Nationals Leader David Littleproud on his way back home to Brisbane.
Mr Dutton and Mr Littleproud landed in Thargomindah and toured the town with Bulloo Shire Council mayor John Ferguson while meeting locals.
About 70 people have been evacuated with the levee expected to break.
