It’s been a long time since we’ve been to Canberra for work.
For the greenwash police, we used the bus (not quite as comfortable as we remembered, sitting right at the front with panoramic views in a brand new Mercedes rig in those days,) but still the occasion was enticing: the first Australia China Business Council conference in oh… quite a few years and it was to be held in Parliament House. A great opportunity to bail up a likely pollie or two and ping them on tougher action on climate change, coal mines, building sustainability integrity and any other relevant topic that might pop up.
So it was disappointing there was such an extravagant two-week hiatus for parliament, after the passing of Queen Elizabeth. But the topics were irresistible: business opportunities for green buildings, green cities and clean energy. And the atmosphere was electric.
It felt like the start of a rapprochement, after a rocky few years. (Maybe) Certainly, that was the clear hope signalled by the strong business and political contingent.
Among the nuggets of insights we heard were that among the many global companies still operating strongly in China are about 30 Aussie architectural firms who’ve been braving the deep freeze operating elsewhere in tradeland and working mainly on green buildings and green cities. All hoping, we’d imagine, for a defrost and warming environment, at least in a business sense, if not a climate sense, which of course they’re focused on impeding.
The guests milling about in the networking opportunities included a young man from Peter Dutton’s office, a pair from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the country manager Australia for JD Worldwide, Liang (Steven) Zhang, who said his 400,000-strong consumer goods company in China was quite a lot like Amazon and keen to set up in Australia in the next few years. (For now, it was concentrating on a couple of logistics buildings through Goodman at Smithfield in Sydney, mostly to import popular vitamin supplements from Australia into China).
On stage were event organisers: national president David Olsson, Hong Kong-based international director of King & Wood Mallesons lawyer; Alison Aiery, the council’s chief executive; and Anthony Coles, who is managing director of H Lab Australia, South Australia representative for the council, and chair of its Net Zero Working Group.
Tony Boatman, co-founder of Impact X and former marketing head of Nokia, also made a lively appearance; along with Kane Thornton, chief executive of the Clean Energy Council in Australia; Daniel Boyer, deputy chief executive of Austrade; and of course Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian, who was charming and reassuring as could be, citing the opportunity the new Labor government offered for a reset in relations.
It was a hope that was clearly supported by most in the audience and which speakers said was already well under way through formal exchanges of letters between ministers, senior bureaucrats and even at the very top of the political tree. Business of course was keen as mustard, and this showed through in an enthusiastic round-table of around 40 people key people that had taken place the day before.
From the audience there came the voice of former Liberal minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb, reminding of his strong advocacy of free trade agreements, some of which he negotiated with South Korea, Japan and China, citing the good work continuing to be done, the huge potential of the 1.2 million Chinese already in Australia and of course the need to assess security issues.
What was not so good was the alacrity with which the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) was prone to reject investment into Australia, he said.
“I’m heavily involved in business and investment. I can’t tell you how many opportunities come up… and I say, well, that will never get through for FIRB.”
The free trade agreement with China was “still working and working its socks off and still growing [the volume of business] every month,” he said.
The speaker on stage at the time, deputy chief executive officer of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) Daniel Boyer who in a previous role was an advisor to Robb said he would “channel Tony Jones [the ABC’s long-serving host of public affairs program QandA] and take that as a comment”.
Boyer thought there might be a touch of “revenge conferencing” under way, having given a great many speeches on trade issues in recent times.
He said the key to remember was that the Chinese population is becoming older, wealthier and more health conscious.
The current Five-Year Plan wants to build a powerful public health sector, improve its quality and efficiency and improve aged care services. A great opportunity for Australia, he said was everything from architectural design to preventative health and environmental protection.
Despite the geopolitical tensions, many categories of trade continue to do “very well” he said.
On education, demand for places is exceeding supply, so many families look to international opportunities to educate their children.
“China still accounts for 29 per cent of the Australian student population” in fields ranging from architecture to technology.
None of these fields of enterprise were without risk, he said. Businesses needed to undertake “thorough risk assessment” and spread their activities to a number of global locations.
Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian followed with examples of work available in China for Australian businesses and the sincerity of China’s commitment to net zero and greening opportunities.
Australia had ample enviable assets in this regard, he said, mentioning skills in energy, greening, investment and, interestingly, collaboration (possibly the co-opetition that’s often cited in the Australian property sector at least).
The Ambassador said the relationship with Australia was important. China was Australia’s number one trading partner, number one source of foreign investment and of students.
“And at the same time Australia is one of the “most important critical partners for China, for economic development, for trade relationships with the rest of the world, and is also a very important source of investment.”
He cited Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposed Global Development Initiative with deliverables released that covered eight priority areas such as poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 vaccines, financing for development, climate change and green development, industrialisation, the digital economy and connectivity in the digital age.
In particular China has “very ambitious goals” of a carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. And the Ambassador admitted it’s a “very, very challenging job” for China.
“I believe we can achieve that goal. Of course, it’s not only a reaction to the aspirations and necessity and of the wishes of the people of the world, but also a very strong demand of the people in China.
“In China, we are now more and more aware of the importance of the climate change issue, the empowerment of environmental protection.”
This was clear not just at the central level, but at the state, city and even the village levels.
China has changed, he said; it was cleaning up its act and you could now see the green of the mountains and blue of the rivers. We’ve heard firsthand reports ourselves of the vast changes in environmental clean ups especially since the Olympics in Beijing and especially since that powerful video by a Chinese journalist, Under the Dome, which went viral around the world.
“There’s actually a strong consensus within China itself, that climate change is an issue.”
It’s a challenge to “our survival, to our sustainable development. And we are more and more serious about how to deal with these challenges.”
This has provided the two countries with “an even greater opportunity for China and Australia to cooperate”.
As a new ambassador, he’s feeling positive, reaching out to many people in “different walks of life, including [during] my trip to WA.”
There were opportunities to collaborate to achieve these climate and environmental roles, as well as through industries such as green energy and electric vehicles. Perhaps even to “jointly manufacture something good”.
In his opening remarks the council’s David Ollson had been just as optimistic. “Geopolitical tensions will continue for many years to come,” he said. But it was important for business to curate opportunities and drive conversations and become a platform for conversations.
At the roundtable the day before he said “nearly 40 people committed to walk out of that room, and do something tomorrow.”
Of course the hoopla has to be countered with a note of caution as several of the speakers mentioned during the event. One guest though, who kept a close view on China issues, was more forthright and said, ” I wouldn’t give them an inch.” “Ah, the long range 100 year vision,” we said. “Not at all: they’re just as ‘whack a mole government as anyone else”. Next day came news of Xi’s meeting with Putin in Uzbekistan.
The one disappointment
The one disappointment
Our only disappointment from the day was that we were robbed of an opportunity to interrogate a few pollies, as we said.
One of the topics that we might have brought up given the chance, could have been our most recent hobbyhorse: wondering at what point the Feds need to step in and stop certain recalcitrant states from persistently placing their citizens in danger of flood and fire through unsafe planning laws, or not insisting net zero highly insulated housing for all. (Responding we know to the loud and abrasive noise made by some state developer lobby groups).
are so loud and abrasive and we suspect a tad scary).
On that front we’re finding it interesting that the teal movement has focused its attention on the upcoming NSW state election and is looking for a candidate to take on current planning minister Anthony Roberts’ seat to see if the “safe” seat of Lane Cove he occupies can be made as “safe” as the planning laws he’s been supporting.
Namely the ditching of – let’s face it – extremely modest proposals for a tiny amount of extra tree canopy or the insanely cheap option of making a roof light instead of black. On that front can someone explain why the developer lobby went almost apoplectic about that modest little proposal? Is there some commercial issue at play, such as that dark paint is cheaper? Has Colorbond made a killing on the dark roofs futures market?
Anyway, we’re told getting the Feds to step in to stop “some” states continuing to allow development in floodplains or bush fire prone land is a tough ask. But we argue that the Feds have to pick up a huge chunk of the externalities of that poor planning by the states which means, we the people/taxpayers have to dig deeper to help with more taxes (because we don’t expect Google and pals will chip in very much).
Despite the hesitation, we think that fast emerging climate dangers need a national approach. Not just to help the federal government to deliver on its modest 43 per cent emissions reduction target, but to stop behaviour that is clearly against the national interest and places citizens in danger, at huge cost to national budgets.
We need the Feds to ensure – by carrot or by stick – that the nation can deliver on a resilient future for cities, states and territories.
They’ve stepped in before over the Franklin River and Fraser Island. Constitutional lawyers, time to sharpen your pencils.
UPDATED: This article was updated at 750 16 September 2022