The NSW premier has mystified colleagues by appointing a special adviser on energy without consulting his energy minister.
Dominic Perrottet revealed during an interview last week with Sydney’s 2GB radio station he had hired former Snowy Hydro boss Paul Broad as a “special adviser” on energy. Much is unclear about the hire, but we know Broad will report directly to the premier, advise him on how to “cut through red tape and regulations” and help the government maintain energy security.
It’s also clear that Perrottet’s Energy Minister Matt Kean was blindsided. He was abroad when the announcement was made and was not consulted beforehand, Crikey understands.
Anyone who tuned into NSW Parliament’s question time on Tuesday, when Kean was asked if he supported the appointment, would have been able to hear between the lines and see the answer was no. Rather than support Broad, Kean went on the attack and accused Opposition Leader Chris Minns for lacking an energy plan of his own. Translation: Kean isn’t keen on Broad.
It’s not clear why Perrottet felt he needed an adviser on energy when he has Kean managing that portfolio.
It’s worth noting Perrottet and Kean are factional opponents who have had a good working relationship during Perrottet’s premiership. Kean, a moderate, was instrumental in making sure Perrottet, of the hard right, had enough backing inside among Liberal MPs to become premier last year. In return, Kean was appointed treasurer, the second-most senior position in the government and the one held by Perrottet before his ascension.
The premier’s office did not return calls and emails from Crikey asking for more information. Kean also declined to comment. Broad couldn’t be reached.
The choice of Broad is especially curious because he’s been a vocal opponent of one of Kean’s major policy achievements, the energy infrastructure roadmap.
In an interview with The Australian Financial Review in February last year, he said the plan — meant to transition the state’s energy market to mostly relying on renewables once “ageing coal-fired generation plants retire” — was “fundamentally flawed”.
“I don’t want to be overly critical but I don’t like that what [Kean] seems to be doing is massively underwriting investments and sort of guaranteeing returns,” he said. “I just think that’s a fundamentally flawed principle to start from.”
Broad quit as Snowy Hydro chief executive in August. Crikey understands rumours that he was forced out by the federal Labor government are not true — rather, he quit on his own volition — and that speculation about a rift with federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen was “overblown”.
But there are indications the government wasn’t totally happy with Broad’s performance.
Snowy Hydro chairman David Knox indicated during a Senate estimates hearing last week tjat Bowen had told Broad he didn’t appreciate the frequent “surprises” from Snowy Hydro, in terms of statements made to the media that hadn’t been flagged with him.
“The key message is that the tone of the conversations from Snowy to the ministers was not as open and as straightforward as it should have been. That was the feedback,” Knox said.
That feedback was given on August 23. Broad resigned three days later.
