Climate Change Authority stacked with gas lobbyists

The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility​ (ACCR) is condemning the appointment of Grant King and Susie Smith to the Climate Change Authority (CCA).

Commenting on the appointments, Dan Gocher, Director of Climate & Environment at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) said:

“This is yet another example of the Morrison government cynically stacking an advisory body with fossil fuel lobbyists.

“As the CEO of Origin Energy, Grant King presided over the large-scale destruction of shareholder value with the ill-fated investment in Australia Pacific LNG at Gladstone. Investors were so aggrieved, they ensured King barely saw the inside of the BHP Billiton boardroom.

“King is almost uniquely unsuited to any role at the CCA, much less its chairmanship. Under his leadership, Origin forcefully opposed credible climate policy. During his tenure on their boards, the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) campaigned to repeal the carbon tax, the only effective policy Australia has ever had to reduce emissions.

“This sorry state of affairs is compounded by the appointment of Susie Smith to the CCA, representing the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network (AIGN). The AIGN is the original “greenhouse mafia”, that has stood in the way of ambitious climate policy for 30 years.

“These appointments follow those of David Byers and Brian Fisher to the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee in February.

“The Australian public should be outraged that the Morrison government’s response to the Black Summer and recent flooding across the East Coast is to further entrench the fossil fuel lobby in bodies responsible for dealing with the climate crisis.

Background

An incomplete list of fossil fuel-conflicted appointments by the Morrison government:

• April 2021: Grant King, Susie Smith - Climate Change Authority
• March 2021: Sophie Mirabella - Fair Work Commission
• February 2021: David Byers and Brian Fisher - Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee
• October 2020: Lauren Stafford - Industry Innovation and Science Australia
• September 2020: Ben Wilson - Technology Investment Roadmap advisory council
• August 2020: Tony Shepherd - Snowy Hydro
• July 2020: Anna Matysek - Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
• April 2020: Nev Power, Catherine Tanna, Andrew Liveris, James Fazzino - (formerly) National COVID-19 Coordination Commission
• January 2020: David Knox - Snowy Hydro
• October 2019: Grant King, Susie Smith - review of emissions reduction policies
• July 2019: Karen Moses - Snowy Hydro
• June 2019: Brendan Pearson - Prime Minister’s Office
• March 2019: Dr Malcolm Roberts - Productivity Commission
• September 2018: Yaron Finkelstein - Prime Minister’s Office
• August 2018: John Kunkel - Prime Minister’s Office