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Sustainable Economy


The Sustainable Economy Program focuses on policy ideas and partnerships to build a more environmentally and socially sustainable economy. Australia has a tremendous opportunity to leverage its abundant natural resources, wealth and creativity to build a fair, sustainable and prosperous economy – one that provides a secure future for all Australians. But this can only happen if the right policy settings are in place, and if both private and public actors are focussed on the things that really drive risk, growth and wellbeing in the long term.

In recent years, our Sustainable Economy Program research has helped drive a major shift in how Australian business, investors and regulators are responding to long-term challenges and opportunities stemming from climate change and sustainable finance. We have also continued longer-term research on energy, sustainable agriculture and the national security implications of climate change. Please read on below for more information about our work.

Experts


Tim Nelson (Research Committee)

Expertise
Energy sector; renewables; sustainability

Sam Mostyn AO (Chair)

Expertise
Business; sustainable development; climate change; international development

Professor Roy Green

Expertise
Innovation policy and management, industry and labour market analysis, business education

Kate Mackenzie

Expertise
Climate change impacts & policies; sustainability strategies; transitions to zero carbon economy

Latest Articles


Australia-Indonesia Energy Transition Policy Dialogue | Second Meeting, March 9 2023

Curtis Moore - March 2023

The second meeting of the Australia-Indonesia Energy Transition Policy Dialogue was held in Jakarta and online on 9 March 2023.

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Mandatory Disclosure of Climate-Related Risks and Opportunities: Submission to Treasury

Lachlan Williams - March 2023

Government authorities and large privately-held businesses should ultimately disclose climate risks alongside publicly traded companies to support a swift, just and orderly transition to net zero

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MEDIA RELEASE: Climate risk regime can make Australia part of the solution

Lachlan Williams - December 2022

The announcement of moves towards a clear and uniform taxonomy for climate risk and opportunity for Australian corporate and financial institutions is a vital and necessary step towards an orderly...

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Investing for Australia – Clarifying Climate Risk Expectations for the Future Fund

Lachlan Williams - December 2022

Investing for Australia: Clarifying climate risk expectations for the Future Fund assess the sovereign wealth fund's climate risk response and recommends three steps to put the Future Fund on the...

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2035 Climate Initiative Roundtable One

Lachlan Williams - December 2022

The 2035 Climate Initiative is coordinated by the Centre for Policy Development (CPD) and Climateworks Centre, with a steering group that includes Pollination Group, Australian Industry Group (AiGroup) and the...

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RBA Review submission: Equipping the RBA for a dynamic climate risk and transition response

Lachlan Williams - November 2022

The Reserve Bank is governed by a 63-year-old law that requires the RBA Board to contribute to economic prosperity and welfare. It makes sense to update this to account for...

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Climate & Recovery Initiative Roundtable Eight

Lachlan Williams - April 2022

Climate and Recovery Initiative Roundtable Eight, from Centre for Policy Development and ClimateWorks Centre. Part of the Sustainable Economy Program at the Centre for Policy Development.

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Who’s buying? – Centre for Policy Development

Jeremy McEachern - January 2022

Who’s buying? in the media AFR and ABC both covered the release of the report Toby Phillips appeared on ABC News and AM to discuss the report’s findings It was...

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Seventh Climate & Recovery Initiative stakeholder roundtable

Jeremy McEachern - November 2021

The seventh roundtable of the Climate and Recovery Initiative, on Friday 19 November 2021, was held directly after a public forum on Climate, Capital Markets and Global Governance. The UNFCCC...

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CPD’s Upcoming Public Forum: Climate, Capital Markets and Global Governance

Georgia Wilkinson - November 2021

On behalf of the Climate & Recovery Initiative, the Centre for Policy Development and ClimateWorks Australia are pleased to invite you to participate in a virtual public forum on climate,...

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Australia’s access to capital may be strangled over climate stance

Georgia Wilkinson - October 2021

Article by Lucas Baird featuring CPD’s Climate & Recovery Initiative, published in the Australian Financial Review on 22 September 2021. Australia risks punishment from global markets that will blow out...

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When CPD set out on this work in early 2016, we began with the premise that performance and leadership on sustainability-related risks in the Australian corporate sector were lagging –

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Recent progress on climate risk has underlined the opportunity for policymakers and industry to build strategic policy roadmap for sustainable finance in Australia.

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CPD’s recent work on climate change has focused on the implications of a changing climate for Australia’s national security. Our agenda-setting report The Longest Conflict (2015)

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We are currently undertaking new research to map Commonwealth and Victorian grants and programs that promote sustainable agriculture and food systems and biodiversity enhancement on private land.

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In 2016 we released a discussion paper by CPD Research Associate Alexander Marks on the future of Australia’s electricity system.

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