The Climate Change Authority determined that its incoming chairman, Matt Kean, did not have a conflict of interest despite taking a role at a climate advisory service – but he would need to make ongoing disclosures on relevant investments by the firm.
Brad Archer, the authority’s chief executive, said Kean – a former New South Wales treasurer and energy minister – had declared his position as a director of “regulatory affairs and strategic partnerships” at Wollemi Capital as “a material personal interest”, according to documents seen by Guardian Australia.
“No conflict of interest currently exists between Mr Kean’s outside interests and matters under consideration by the authority,” Archer said in an accompanying letter sent to the office of opposition climate spokesman Ted O’Brien, in response to a freedom of information request.
Kean was asked to “obtain further information on [Wollemi’s] investments and provide it to the [authority’s] secretariat”. He should also disclose any individual investments “that may raise material conflict issues with authority work in accordance with standard meeting procedures”, the document showed.
The Albanese government’s appointment of Kean in June sparked anger by some in the federal Coalition who saw the former deputy NSW Liberal leader as a turncoat. Others welcomed the choice of the architect of the state’s renewable energy roadmap who had also advocated stronger climate change action for years.
O’Brien had said the climate and energy minister, Chris Bowen, had “serious questions to answer” after picking Kean.
“Bowen needs to assure the Australian public that he did the appropriate checking of conflicts of interests before making this appointment,” O’Brien said, according to a Australian Financial Review report in August.
Archer’s comments were provided to O’Brien’s office after it sought an explanation of how the authority would handle Kean’s role at Wollemi. That position commenced on 15 August, shortly after Kean took on the part-time role at the authority.
Wollemi Capital was “a global climate specialist investment firm” and Kean’s role was advisory and relationship management for which he would receive a salary and an equity stake in the company, the document said.
“He will not have a decision-making role in relation to investments,” it said. “Mr Kean’s role will be to manage key stakeholder relationships, assist in identifying potential investors, and provide strategic advice within the firm, including in relation to potential investments.”
The “intersection with authority business” might come where Wollemi’s interests were “impacted by advice, particularly as it relates to specific projects and technologies in which the firm invests”, it said.
A spokesperson for O’Brien said “governance matters and the Australian public deserve transparency on political appointments and actions,” and that the government was “running a closed shop”.
“It has a track record of using non-disclosure agreements to hide from scrutiny, this is the same government who called for ‘greater transparency’ when in opposition,” the spokesperson said.
One of the documents noted some of the interests of other authority members that had been handled by the “standard procedures”.
These include those of Susie Smith, who was appointed by the Morrison government. Smith’s interests include her role as principal of ESG & Carbon Services, a consultancy.
Patty Akopiantz, who was appointed at the same time as Kean, was co-founder of Assembly Climate Capital, a firm that says it is “creating answers to the generation-defining challenge of climate change”.
A spokesman for Bowen said the Climate Change Authority legislation envisages that its members would be across the relevant industries and sectors, and “vitally ensures that these conflicts be transparently disclosed and appropriately managed”.
“This is reflected in the outgoing chair’s [Grant King’s] own external appointments being managed.”
He accused O’Brien of making a political point rather than an “earnest one of transparency”.
