Event: BCA Chief Executive Bran Black interview on ABC Afternoon Briefing
Speakers: ABC Afternoon Briefing Host Patricia Karvelas; Business Council of Australia Chief Executive Bran Black
Date: 29 October 2025
Topics: EPBC reform, net zero, approvals, business investment
E&OE
ABC Afternoon Briefing Host Patricia Karvelas Host: If this Bill doesn’t pass by the end of the year, what are the consequences?
Bran Black, Business Council Chief Executive: Well, for us, we’re very focused on trying to make sure that we get a good outcome. Now, I should say that doesn’t mean rushing it.
Patricia: Right. So, you’re not, just to clarify, you’re not obsessed with getting this passed by the end of the year. You don’t think…
Bran: We want to get it done quickly and there was a time a few months back, where the Government was saying that they wanted to get it done and dusted by the middle of next year. And I thought to myself at the time, that seems like a really good bookend, and I still think that’s the case, if we can do it sooner…. So the key point is that there are still issues to be resolved from our perspective, and we want to see those resolved properly, which might take time. So, if we can do it fast, great, but let’s get it right.
Patricia: The Coalition says this will be a handbrake on investment. Is that a real, fair assessment?
Bran: Well, as I say, as things stand right now, there are issues that need to be resolved, what we are looking for at the end of the day is a package that delivers a net benefit for business. Now, of course, we need to deliver a net benefit for the environment as well, but our focus is, of course, on making sure that we get that benefit for business. We need to see issues resolved in order to be able to secure that and there are some core areas that we would take issue with, in terms of benefits that accrue on the environmental side, but there are also process improvements that we need to see on the business side.
Patricia: The Labor caucus has had some things to say. Many are concerned about any more changes that might appease a group like yours. Clearly, there is a lot of delicate politics here. Just talk to me about the kind of resistance you feel like you’re getting?
Bran: Well, I should say what we’re experiencing is that there is goodwill on both sides, and we think that that is an important thing, because at the end of the day, this is such a significant reform package. Ken Henry, you might recall, coming out of the Economic Reform Roundtable, noted that this was one of the single greatest reform pieces that we could do to drive national productivity. There’s no two ways around that point. We agree. We’re pleased to see that the Government has been very engaged and very committed to consultation, and Murray’s (Watt) done an excellent job in that regard. We also see that the Coalition is really committed to being constructive in trying to put forward ideas so far and putting forward its perspective.
Patricia: Has it been constructive, it called for the Bill to be split. There’s been a lot of leaking saying there’s a lot of people who just don’t want it to pass law.
Bran: We see that there is still goodwill on both sides, and we are leaning into that, not just in terms of the Government and the Opposition, but also in relation to managing and dealing with stakeholders as well. Everybody sees that this is a fundamental problem. You know, if you take renewable energy as an example, Herbert Smith Freehills said that the EPBC Act was the single greatest impediment to the green energy transition. It’s not just the green energy transition. It’s our capacity to deliver housing, our capacity to deliver critical minerals projects. We have to get this right so we’re trying to harness the goodwill that exists and hope that we can get an outcome between the two major parties of government.
Patricia: And you say two major parties, because the Government has another pathway. It’s called the Greens. They have the balance of power if the Coalition doesn’t get on board. So, what’s your message to the Coalition? Because you’d imagine that from your perspective, you wouldn’t get a sort of a deal that’s as business-friendly if the Coalition doesn’t come on board.
Bran: Our message is directly to both major parties, and that is because, as I say, they are the parties of government. We want to see reform that lasts. If we see reform that is unbalanced because it’s too far in favour of business or too far in favour of environmental positions that has all sorts of consequences that we wish to avoid. If it’s too far in favour of environmental interests, it’ll drive investment overseas, and that is a problem for us. If it’s too far in favour of business interests, then that will simply prompt a further reform process. At the end of the day, business is looking for certainty, and that certainty comes, we think, by trying to secure passage by both major parties agreeing, albeit, of course, with difficulty, but agreeing nonetheless.
Patricia: Are you worried that the Coalition is poised to dump the net zero pledge?
Bran: Look the politics of that are a matter for the Coalition. For our part, we’re focused very much on how we can support the Government’s efforts to articulate what comes next with respect to net zero planning. I stress from our perspective, we’re committed to net zero by 2050, we want to make sure that we get there affordably and reliably, and that’s absolutely critical. So in terms of the work that we’re doing, we’re focused on the overarching plan, and the first cuts of that, so to speak, have already been released. But there are sector plans that sit underneath it, and that’s where our focus is now.
Patricia: The Government is poised to announce an east coast gas plan. Have you been consulted on this?
Bran: We have had engagement with respect to that particular issue. Yes.
Patricia: Could you give me any detail of the sorts of things that they’ve been raising with you.
Bran: Well, what we’ve been clear on in terms of our engagement with the Government is that we don’t take issue with the idea of a reservation policy, but we do see that it’s critical that it’s prospective in its application, and it has to come with more supply coming into the system. We know we’re going to need more supply for gas, not just to deal with our own transition, and it’s clear that for peaking and firming purposes that will be necessary, but we also have arrangements we should be looking to pursue with our friends and allies overseas. They are looking to us to support them as they undertake their own transition. And I think the simple reality is that if we wish to be a renewable energy superpower in the future, we need to be a dependable energy supplier today.
Patricia: Bran, thanks for coming in.