Albo’s shock pick to head climate body

Former NSW Liberal treasurer Matt Kean has been appointed the chair of the Climate Change Authority.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the surprise announcement on Monday, just days after Mr Kean quit state parliament.

“As a former NSW Treasurer and minister for energy and the environment, Matt Kean is uniquely qualified to lead the Climate Change Authority and I am so pleased that he has accepted the government’s invitation to take up the vacancy,” Mr Albanese said.

“Matt Kean is an outstanding appointment for this job.

“Mr Kean understands the opportunity that the transition to clean energy represents for our nation.

“He understood it as a member of the NSW government and he understands it as someone who has focused his working life in recent years on making a difference, not just today but for generations to come.

“And he also understands the folly that walking away from the renewables transition.”

Mr Kean will replace Grant King who has resigned as chair of the Authority. Mr Albanese thanked Mr King who will finish up in early August.

The decision to appoint Mr Kean puts him at odds with the Liberal Party, which has announced a nuclear-forward approach to provide energy.

“I will let the prime answer questions regards to the politics but I will say this, as the incoming care of the Climate Change Authority, my job is to advise the government based on evidence,” Mr Kean told reporters.

“That includes engineering evidence, economic evidence and scientific evidence and that’s what I intend to do. We need to make decisions based on facts.

“Te latest scientific engineering and economic advice that has looked at these matters but I’m aware of is from the CSIRO.

“They can very clearly say that the cheapest way to transition our electricity system is to move towards renewables backed up by firming and storage. That is what the CSIRO says, that is the evidence available to us. I’m not aware of anything different.

More to come