Business Council of Australia CEO Bran Black issues major plea to re-elected Albanese Government on energy supply
A leader in the business community has recommended a key way Labor can boost energy supply as many industries call for changes during the Albanese Government’s second term.
After securing a sweeping victory over the weekend, many leading business bodies have called on Labor to boost productivity, wind back red tape and protect Australia from global uncertainty during the Albanese Government’s second term.
The nation’s energy mix and the transition to net-zero through renewables are also major considerations for many industries concerned about energy security.
The Business Council of Australia’s CEO Bran Black said gas was a critical issue for the nation’s industries with bringing more supply into the grid the main focus for many manufacturers.
“In terms of gas, in order for us to get more supply into the systems we’ve got to be looking very closely at how we can go about making our approvals system faster,” Mr Black told Sky News’ Business Now.
“One of the key things that business has been advocating for is a single desk approach to approvals.
“That means that instead of having a federal approval and a state approval, you have the states, for instance, accredited to look out for the federal approval process at the same time that they’re running their own approvals processes.”
Mr Black said this would not mean dispensing of the federal system, but consolidating the approvals into one desk to expedite getting more gas onto the system.
“That would make such a big difference but that’s only one of a number of key reforms that are required in order to make the overall approval system faster and therefore to get more gas into the system much quicker,” Mr Black said.
The BCA CEO, like many in the business community, said the certainty offered by a re-elected Labor Government in terms of energy policy gave them greater confidence, particularly considering the strong majority the Albanese Government holds.
Prior to the 2025 Federal Election, many business leaders expressed concerns about the possibility of a Labor-led minority government with the Greens or Teal Independents.
Woodside Energy’s Meg O’Neill told Business Now last week both parties affirming the importance of gas in the energy mix was “really positive” as the Greens had vowed there would be no more new gas projects – including Woodside’s plans to extend the life of the Northwest Shelf Project.
“We’ve got to be taking practical steps to tackle the red and green tape that is preventing developments from progressing,” she said.
