Concluding his 13-year-run in NSW parliament, former NSW treasurer Matt Kean issued a tribute to his “great friend and mentor,” former premier Gladys Berejiklian, resolutely stating her exit from politics “denied the state of one of its finest premiers and leaders”.
In a valedictory speech attended by Liberal luminary former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy, as well as federal MPs Paul Fletcher, Julian Leeser and Philip Ruddock, Mr Kean thanked Ms Berejiklian for her “incredible leadership” and the “unshakeable belief that she had in me”.
Ms Berejiklian resigned as premier in 2021 amid an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption into whether she had breached public trust while in a secret and lengthy relationship with former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire.
While the final report tabled by the watchdog last year found that she had engaged in serious corrupt conduct, it didn’t recommend criminal charges.
However, in his final words to parliament, Mr Kean maintained his support for Ms Berejiklian.
“I still regard what happened to her as a grave injustice that denied the state of one of its finest premiers and leaders, and I know that the people of NSW regard her as fondly as I do,” he said of his former moderate colleague.
“She set the standard when it came to dedication, commitment and service to the people of this state.”
Climate change ‘Nazism’ challenge
Mr Kean also used his at times emotional and tear-filled speech to call for more national action against climate change, which he said was the “challenge of our generation”, likening it to overcoming Nazism during WWII and communism during the Cold War.
“My grandparents’ generation fought for freedom in the Second World War, my parents’ generation saw off the threat of communism during the Cold War, it’s incumbent on our generation to take decisive and responsible action on climate change,” he said.
“This is the biggest challenge that will face our society and our economy in our lifetime.”
Previously flagging he intended to resign from politics to pursue opportunities in the private renewable energy space, Mr Kean also bolstered support for the state’s transition to renewable energy, which the Coalition cemented in its Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.
He said political leaders who ignored acting on climate change would risk grave economic consequences like increased natural disasters. In comparison, Mr Kean said, transitioning to renewables would create more jobs and reduce electricity costs.
“For the critics who complain of an economic and financial cost from acting on climate change, let me tell you, as treasurer, I saw the catastrophic cost of not acting, the cost of rebuilding infrastructure, towns, lives and livelihoods, and there’s no comparison,” he said, citing the 2022 Lismore floods and the 2021 Black Summer bushfires.
“These natural disasters are exactly what the scientists have warned us about for decades.”
While he made no reference to nuclear energy, Mr Kean’s comments come as federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged his election run on nuclear power.
Announcing his plan this week, Mr Dutton promised to build at least two out of seven nuclear reactors in NSW, flagging two potential sites at Liddell and Mount Piper.