Peter Dutton is banking on Queenslanders’ NIMBYism at the next election, but when it comes to nuclear, he needs a Yes

There’s nothing quite like the sudden realisation your backyard is about to house toxic waste to spur people into action. Facing that prospect in the early 2000s, farmers, conservationists and townies found themselves more than 500km from home, on the steps of Melbourne’s iconic Flinders Street Station, handing out more than half a tonne of oranges. Back home on the outskirts of Mildura, signs dotted the Calder Highway decrying the state Labor government’s plans to establish a toxic waste dump on Mallee bushland. Those on the train station steps weren’t the typical campaigners you’d see at a protest. It’s likely…