S4E9 – Building Australia’s Net Zero Future: Infrastructure and the Energy Transition w/ The Hon. Matt Kean

Description:

In this episode of Infrastructure Connections, we speak with the Hon. Matt Kean, Chair of the Australian Climate Change Authority and former NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister, about Australia’s path to net zero and the critical role infrastructure will play in shaping our future.

Matt explores Australia’s progress in renewable energy, the impact of NSW’s Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, and how Renewable Energy Zones are driving investment, jobs and regional economic growth. He also discusses the growing importance of building climate resilience into infrastructure and why acting now can be far more cost-effective than responding to climate impacts later.

Moving beyond the politics of climate change, Matt makes the case for treating climate action as an economic and risk-management challenge—one that presents opportunities for productivity, competitiveness, investment and long-term value creation.

The conversation also explores what governments and industry need to do to turn climate ambition into practical action, and the role organisations like the Infrastructure Sustainability Council can play in accelerating this transition.