Kean, on a green streak, goes in search of the political centre

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Kean, on a green streak, goes in search of the political centre

By Peter Hannam

Even as politics becomes more polarised almost everywhere, it's sometimes a little unclear which side Matt Kean, NSW's Energy and Environment Minister, is on.

Take his visit in June to formally unveil the Berejiklian government's purchase of a sliver of exquisite bushland near Katoomba known as Radiata Plateau. Residents had fought for decades to prevent its development.

Better a rock and a saved place: Liberal Minister Matt Kean and Labor MP Trish Doyle at the newly acquired Radiata Plateau in the Blue Mountains.

Better a rock and a saved place: Liberal Minister Matt Kean and Labor MP Trish Doyle at the newly acquired Radiata Plateau in the Blue Mountains.Credit: Janie Barrett

"Can I also acknowledge someone who is very dear to me, our local MP Trish Doyle," Kean told a group of mostly environmental campaigners at the Pulpit Hill Road entrance, introducing the Labor MP. "She is a great champion for the Blue Mountains."

In reply, Doyle indicated she was only present at the unveiling because Kean had contacted her: "Thanks, Matt, for letting me know."

Green machine: Matt Kean gets taken for a spin in 'The Beast' by Labor's Trish Doyle.

Green machine: Matt Kean gets taken for a spin in 'The Beast' by Labor's Trish Doyle.Credit: Peter Hannam

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Shortly after, Kean ditched his government ride, jumping into Doyle's bright green ute she dubs "The Beast" to tool off to another joint meeting with residents, this time to quell concerns over the prospects of a surge in bus traffic once the coronavirus finally recedes and tourism begins to pick up.

Kean is, of course, hardly the first politician to be difficult to pigeon-hole. Still, several features mark out the 38 year-old as one of the government's rising stars after becoming a minister when Gladys Berejiklian replaced Mike Baird as premier in early 2017.

For one, Kean controls two portfolios that have been fraught for Liberals at both a state or federal level for a decade. Rather than seek a low profile – such as his predecessor Gabrielle Upton, who never made it to the mass fish kills at Menindee in early 2019 – he is one of the more active ministers, particularly on social media.

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Among his environment goals was a plan to create 200,000 hectares of new national parks within this term. The tally already stands at 157,000 hectares – the bulk of it with the purchase of the giant Narriearra cattle station in far-west NSW – with another 50,000-plus hectares possible over the next six months.

On the energy front, he touts among his achievements his rollout of two of the three special renewable energy zones. The first attracted nine times the 3000 megawatts capacity on offer, and the second is targeting 8000 megawatts, or not far shy of the state's entire fleet of coal-fired power plants.

Kean also heads the largest faction in the Liberals, the Moderates, working closely with Rob Stokes, the head of the planning cluster of ministries, who also shares many of the same concerns about climate change and renewable energy.

"He was a warrior and a factional fighter from the start," a senior figure within the Liberal Party says. "[Kean's] completely outspoken, and most important, is fearless."

Matt Kean, soon after he became Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation in 2017. Portraits of Bobby and John F. Kennedy as well as Martin Luther King Jr. still adorn his parliamentary office.

Matt Kean, soon after he became Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation in 2017. Portraits of Bobby and John F. Kennedy as well as Martin Luther King Jr. still adorn his parliamentary office.Credit: Nick Moir

In the words of someone who has known Kean for decades, his push for the middle is paying off. "He's managed to wedge everyone - Labor, the Greens, the Nats and even the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers."

In a wide-ranging interview with The Sun-Herald, Kean says he is "not in politics to be popular, I’m in politics to do what’s right”.

"The debate has been dominated too long by ideologues on both sides, and I was going to make the case for the centre of Australian politics to stand up and be counted.” the member for Hornsby says.

"It’s fair to say I’ve found my passion but I haven’t had a Road to Damascus [moment].

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"The reason I joined the Liberal party was because I was trying to stop the overdevelopment of my area. It was environmental issues that inspired me to get involved in the political process.”

Clues to Kean's political heroes and what he calls "true north" aren't hard to spot. Anyone visiting his parliamentary office overlooking the Domain, will see pictures on his walls of US President John F. Kennedy and his brother Bobby but also civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

During last year's debate to remove criminal penalties for conducting abortions that had remained on NSW's books since 1900, Kean described himself as a "progressive Liberal", not so unlike the Kennedys.

"I am Catholic. I love the church. I love my faith," he said. "But it is not right to impose my faith on the people of this state." he said.

'I'm not here to administer the state, I'm here to change it': Matt Kean on a flight back to Dubbo after a visit in June to Narriearra, the largest single purchase of land for a national park in NSW's history.

'I'm not here to administer the state, I'm here to change it': Matt Kean on a flight back to Dubbo after a visit in June to Narriearra, the largest single purchase of land for a national park in NSW's history.Credit: Janie Barriett

Deferring to scientific and expert opinion is also what has guided him to put climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the apex of his agenda. This stance has put him at odds with some colleagues, particularly in the National Party, but also with some federal Liberals including Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

During an energy conference in Sydney in December where the whiff from the outside bushfire smoke filled the Hilton Hotel conference hall, Kean warned that the extreme weather was "exactly what the scientists warned us would happen".

Six weeks later, with the bushfires still raging over much of forested NSW, Kean went on to say members of Morrison's frontbench had privately contacted him to offer support for his comments linking the fires with climate change.

'Delicate dance': Energy Minister Matt Kean with Deputy Premier and NSW National Party leader John Barilaro at a solar farm near Dubbo in June.

'Delicate dance': Energy Minister Matt Kean with Deputy Premier and NSW National Party leader John Barilaro at a solar farm near Dubbo in June.Credit: Janie Barrett

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Morrison's angry response only elevated the issue and Kean's profile: "Matt Kean doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he doesn’t know what’s going on in the federal cabinet and most of the federal cabinet wouldn’t even know who Matt Kean was.”

Such a comment was unlikely to be true. As a prominent factional leader in the most populous state, Kean was busily negotiating with various federal ministers, sometimes forcing them to cough up more than they intended.

For instance, when the Morrison government was trying to walk away from the National Energy Guarantee that had toppled Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister, the NSW government led by Kean decided to play hardball.

While attending a gathering of federal and state environment ministers in Adelaide in early November, Kean spent much of the time taking phone calls from Angus Taylor, the federal energy minister.

In exchange for dropping support for Turnbull's energy plan, Kean asked Taylor to stump up $1 billion for an alternative proposal to bolster the take-up of renewable energy through extra transmission and other support.

Taylor came back with an offer of half that, only to be told by Kean that he was holding out for the initial sum. Eventually the federal government folded.

"We got a better deal than under the NEG," Kean says.

“The debate should be won by the best arguments, not the noisiest voices”: Matt Kean, near Hornsby, on Friday.

“The debate should be won by the best arguments, not the noisiest voices”: Matt Kean, near Hornsby, on Friday.Credit: Nick Moir

For his part, Taylor says "the Commonwealth is very happy with the NSW Energy Deal that secured substantial funding for energy and emissions reductions projects and 70 petajoules of additional gas for Australian consumers".

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Kean has also challenged the federal government over last week's decision to release the long-awaited interim report on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act review. Graeme Samuel, the former competition regulator, has called for an independent compliance and enforcement regulator - a recommendation immediately ruled out by Sussan Ley, the federal environment minister.

Kean says he had no problem reducing duplication between federal and state law "but I’ve got a big problem with anything that will weaken the environmental protections that we have”.

Having an arm's-length regulator would also be very much within Liberal traditions, and it should have real powers.

"What can be more important for a conservative government than upholding the rule of law?" Kean says. "Businesses that want to harm or put people’s health at risk or pollute our environment should face the full force of the law.”

Kean was in Canberra the day after the Morrison government released the EPBC review. He did not get to meet Ley - who was apparently unavailable - but he did catch up with David Lindenmayer, a prominent ecologist at the Australian National University.

NSW Environment Minister, Matt Matt Kean (in blue shirt), meets dancers in the newly expanded Mutawintji national park during a visit in September 2019.

NSW Environment Minister, Matt Matt Kean (in blue shirt), meets dancers in the newly expanded Mutawintji national park during a visit in September 2019.Credit: Janie Barrett

Lindenmayer says there hasn't been as active an environment minister in NSW since Labor's Bob Debus, 20 years ago. Kean "seems to be really committed and really engaged with the science".

Chris Gambian, head of the NSW Nature Conservation Council, describes Kean as a "breath of fresh air", but notes that the bar had been set very low by some of his predecessors.

"His starting point is not hating us and not wanting to kill us," Gambian says half-jokingly. "But he has shown that conservation doesn't belong to the left side of politics."

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Critics such as Labor's environment spokeswoman Kate Washington say Kean has not managed to halt the large-scale land clearing unleashed by the weakening of native vegetation laws by the Coalition in 2016.

Nor has he introduced a clean air strategy or one for plastics, and has had to cede ground to the Nationals over water and other issues.

"The Berejiklian government has a terrible track record protecting our environment," she says. "Land clearing has increased 1300 per cent, koalas are on the brink of extinction and our water is being sold off to the highest bidder."

In Kean's view, though, a "delicate dance" is needed to bring the Nationals along, such as convincing them of the benefits of renewables and expanded national parks: bringing in jobs, lower power prices and more tourists to the regions.

"The view I’ve taken is [the environment] is worth fighting for," he says. "What could be more important for a political party to be fighting for than the type of future we’re going to leave our children?"

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