Sydney Summit as it happened: City’s leaders discuss big ideas for the future​on February 4, 2025 at 3:58 am

Former NSW Liberal energy minister Matt Kean has condemned the Coalition’s nuclear election pitch, saying we must focus on renewables instead of being “distracted by unicorns”.

“The best way to ensure reliable, cheap and clean electricity is to build new generation into the system, and that’s why renewables are the only solution to meeting our energy needs. Now, into the future, anyone talking about other technologies is arguing for higher prices”, he said in a panel at the Sydney Summit.

The current system that facilitates the pathway to create more clean energy farms is stalling projects and must become more efficient, says Kean, who chairs the Climate Change Authority, which provides climate advice to the federal government.

“The fact that it takes 492 days for a renewable project to see SSI approval means that you see a blowout in [the] time it takes to build that new capacity that we really need right now, in wind farms and solar farms of between two and four years. That’s increasing the cost of these projects by 25 times and flows through to consumers,” he said.

“We can remove a lot of that red tape and get that cheap, reliable and clean electricity into the system today. We don’t need to wait for a shooting bullet in 20 years’ time.”

Australia has more than doubled its capacity to adopt renewables in the last five years, which since 2018 has accounted for nearly 40 per cent of Australia’s energy needs, Kean said.

“We have the policies in place right now that will turbocharge the agenda to ensure that we’re not only getting cheaper … clean energy but also getting reliable energy.”

“We’re in a race against time to replace our ageing coal-fired power stations, and you can extend these coal-fired power stations, [but] that doesn’t make them more reliable. That’s the reality.”

That’s the end of the 2025 Sydney Summit, thank you for joining our live coverage. Here are some of the takeaways that have been shared by some of the brightest minds on our city’s future:

• NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully told Herald reporter Anthony Segaert about the need for increased diversity in housing choices for Sydneysiders.
• Westpac chief economist Luci Ellis said the construction sector’s productivity output needed to be addressed to fix the housing crisis.
• Support for high-density housing was shared by many panellists and Sydneysiders alike as a fix to the housing crisis, as shown by data published today.
• Former NSW Liberal energy minister Matt Kean condemned the Coalition’s pitch for nuclear energy, urging Australians not to be “distracted by unicorns”.
• Former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr shared his thoughts on the impact of Trump’s presidency, and his passion for tariffs, on Australia.
• Playgrounds in junkyards were pitched as a new way to address childhood play in the city. Arts worker and creative place maker Bethan Donnelly presented her idea to the audience at the summit, but spoke in depth to the Herald’s Sydney editor Megan Gorrey.

The final panel of the summit focused on gender equity, workforce participation and the care economy, on which insights were provided by University of Sydney professor Liz Hill, Orchard Talent Group managing director Alex McDonald, and Trudi Mares, deputy secretary of the state government’s Planning, Integration and Passenger division.

Hill noted the lack of a “joined-up approach” in care infrastructure, which has undermined the capacity of several Australian skilled worker groups, such as young parents, from helping to improve economic outcomes.

“There’s a really significant shift going on with younger men who want to be much more active parents, and so we’re going to share the work in order to lift productivity,” Hill said.

“We’ve got a prime-age female labour force that is the most educated in the OECD. We’ve invested in them and we’re leaving a lot of that productivity on the shelf.”

The panel also noted the role of transport infrastructure in supporting the care economy, with McDonald saying the current workforce is “spending more time in a car than actually caring for individuals”.

“I think it’s safe to say that when we’re looking specifically at Sydney, the largest disruptor to the care economy is actually the M4,” McDonald said. “We’re looking at a time where the demand is increasing year-on-year … there’s less ability for people to stay at home and care more for individuals in their home.”

When asked what the state government can do to support flexible working arrangements assisting the care economy, Mares pointed towards “redefined” public transport schedules that help commuters travelling for work beyond the morning and evening peak times.

“It is not just about the peak anymore,” Mares said.

“Part of the barriers we’ve seen is because [workers] are sometimes rostered on shift work, or coming in at the last minute … there’s the opportunity to support the car economy a little bit further.”

Herald editor Bevan Shields asked three prominent figures how they would advise current federal political campaigns. Here’s what they said:

Former NSW premier and foreign affairs minister Bob Carr, who regularly messaged the NSW premier and planning minister photos of empty land blocks that could be used to make more houses, said federal governments “might cop responsibility” for the housing crisis, that only state planning systems can solve.

“If I were running for the Liberal Party, it is how you strengthen this movement that’s taking place,” he said.

SEC Newgate chair Brian Tyson said he would focus on four major issues for voters: cost of living, housing availability, energy, and crime.

With both parties announcing their slogans – Labor’s “building Australia’s future” and Liberals’ “back on track” – Tyson said Dutton’s lacks a “message of hope”. On the flip side, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s future-focused message, he said, is a much tougher sell in a period of high inflation.

Former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos, who supported Malcolm Turnbull but not Dutton, echoed the sentiments of the others by saying “governments lose elections, and oppositions win”.

“The opposition has got to make sure they’re not the issue, and then you leverage the perceived drawbacks, the issues of the government of the day… Australians are conservative, they’ll give a first-term government a second go unless there’s such a mood that could change. In the case of labor, they need to leverage the risk of that,” Sinodinos said.

Every two months, strategic communications firm SEC Newgate conducts research capturing the mood of the nation. Managing director Sue Vercoe said their recent analysis “paints a picture of a divided nation”.

“Each of these five groups are experiencing our country in different ways, and have marked characteristics,” Vercoe said.

Here’s their snapshot of the five groups in Australia and the issues most important to them ahead of the federal election:

Former NSW premier and federal foreign minister Bob Carr has warned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese not to cut deals with the crossbench based on policy should he need support to form a minority government after the federal election, due by May.

Carr, who served in Gillard’s minority government after the 2010 election, instead encouraged Albanese to only ask crossbenchers to guarantee supply and “take their chances” on legislation “one by one” in the House of Representatives.

“Here’s a quick piece of advice for Anthony Albanese if you find yourself in this position … [don’t] do what Julia Gillard rushed to do after the 2010 election; get commitments and support from independents and Green votes … just seek a guarantee of supply,” Carr said.

Carr was joined at the Sydney Summit election panel by Brian Tyson, SEC Newgate Australia chair, and Australia’s former US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos, who forecast success for teal independents at this year’s poll.

“They’ve entrenched themselves in the electorate, and unless there’s an overwhelming mood for the change in the electorate as a whole, often these people get entrenched [and] their vote will increase,” Sinodinos said.

Sinodinos said he expected the crossbench to lean towards the major party with the highest number of votes if they were asked to negotiate and listed Dai Le, Rebekha Sharkie and Bob Katter as independents who could help Opposition Leader Peter Dutton form a minority government.

Panelists also predicted an “ugly election” if the major parties failed to reach a consensus on the Middle East conflict. Carr and Tyson forecast a Labor minority government, with Sinodinos predicting a minority for Peter Dutton.

A Trump presidency could spell gloom for Australia, former senator and foreign affairs minister Bob Carr has warned.

Carr said that although he was “very careful not to misuse the word”, there were “fascist” touches about Trump’s leadership, referencing some of those pardoned by Trump for the January 2021 attack on the US Capitol with alleged connections to extremist groups.

“We’re challenged by the fact that the world’s prevailing power has taken an utterly unpredictable course,” he said.

In conversation with Herald editor Bevan Shields, Carr said Trump’s threats to impose sweeping tariffs on the US’ three largest trading partners – Canada, Mexico, and China – was another challenge Australia would have to grapple with.

“He’s implementing it [tariffs] – He’s true to his word. He believes passionately in tariffs; he thinks they’re a weapon of global power,” he said.

“It’s vulgar. Economic illiteracy is enormously damaging.”

Economists have warned Trump’s tariffs could spark a global trade war and soften demand for Australian goods and services. It comes after overnight developments in the US saw tariffs on Mexico and China paused for 30 days after the governments of both countries responded.

However, tariffs on China are still expected to come into effect in the US on Tuesday.

New data on Sydneysiders’ support for higher-density buildings confirms a major talking point of today’s summit.

Sydneysiders are more supportive of higher-density buildings in their suburbs than before, according to a joint report published today by event holder, the Committee for Sydney, and market researcher Ipsos.

In 2023, some 39 per cent of Sydneysiders supported greater density in Sydney. That number has grown to 46 per cent this year.

And Gen Z represents the largest percentage of any age cohort to say owning a home was “essential” to them.

The report also reveals that most people look to live close to public transport despite 77 per cent of Sydneysiders owning at least one vehicle.

In 2022, the biggest concerns to Sydneysiders were health, the cost of living and housing. In 2025, the cost of living and unaffordable housing are top of people’s minds.

Senator Andrew Bragg, the opposition spokesperson for home ownership, has reiterated the Coalition’s policy that allows first home buyers to withdraw up to $50,000 from their superannuation balances to help with a house deposit.

He said their proposed policy would “get us straight back on track” and assist young Australians with a deposit.

“The best guarantee of a safe retirement … is if you have a home of your own, with a roof above your own head.”

Bragg did not accept the premise of the policy potentially bumping up property prices when asked about its risks by Megan Gorrey, the Herald’s Sydney Editor.

“It’s entirely reasonable for people to have that choice, and we’re very confident that it will improve people’s ability to get that first house, and it won’t do anything material to the market.”

Bragg slammed Labor’s critique of the policy and said: “The only people who say [the policy] will destroy the whole universe are the super funds who pay people to say that, and those comments are then recycled by the Labor Party.”

Bragg praised NSW Premier Chris Minns’ action on housing but warned that he must “get serious” about ensuring state government agencies work to streamline reforms.

“His agenda is being destroyed by bureaucrats who are not prepared to support the housing infrastructure that Sydney needs,” Bragg said.

“If he is fair dinkum, he will get his agencies on the go … I look forward to [the agencies] now responding accordingly.”

Herald photographer Flavio Brancaleone is covering the Sydney Summit live from the Grand Ballroom of the ICC. Check out his photos of the event here.

Former NSW Liberal energy minister Matt Kean has condemned the Coalition’s nuclear election pitch, saying we must focus on renewables instead of being “distracted by unicorns”.

“The best way to ensure reliable, cheap and clean electricity is to build new generation into the system, and that’s why renewables are the only solution to meeting our energy needs. Now, into the future, anyone talking about other technologies is arguing for higher prices”, he said in a panel at the Sydney Summit.

The current system that facilitates the pathway to create more clean energy farms is stalling projects and must become more efficient, says Kean, who chairs the Climate Change Authority, which provides climate advice to the federal government.

“The fact that it takes 492 days for a renewable project to see SSI approval means that you see a blowout in [the] time it takes to build that new capacity that we really need right now, in wind farms and solar farms of between two and four years. That’s increasing the cost of these projects by 25 times and flows through to consumers,” he said.

“We can remove a lot of that red tape and get that cheap, reliable and clean electricity into the system today. We don’t need to wait for a shooting bullet in 20 years’ time.”

Australia has more than doubled its capacity to adopt renewables in the last five years, which since 2018 has accounted for nearly 40 per cent of Australia’s energy needs, Kean said.

“We have the policies in place right now that will turbocharge the agenda to ensure that we’re not only getting cheaper … clean energy but also getting reliable energy.”

“We’re in a race against time to replace our ageing coal-fired power stations, and you can extend these coal-fired power stations, [but] that doesn’t make them more reliable. That’s the reality.”