CANBERRA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Australian business leaders have called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to address energy prices and climate change as his first priorities after his re-election.
The leaders of business lobby groups, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australian Industry Group, Australian Retailers Association (ARA), the Business Council of Australia and so on, told News Corp Australia that Morrison must balance caring for the environment and assuring affordable energy.
They also identified the need for a stable government as a major priority, a reference to the leadership turmoil that has plagued Morrison's Liberal-National Party coalition (LNP) since it won power in 2013.
"From the perspective of Australian retailers, we agree that we don't want to leave an environment our children and grandchildren can't live with, but what we do want to see are some sensible outcomes in relation to energy costs," ARA executive director Russell Zimmerman said.
"There's been states that have struggled with power supply, so making sure there is power is vital, but it has to be at a reasonable cost."
The other top executives agreed with Zimmerman's assessment, stressing that greenhouse gas emissions must be tackled in a way that would not harm the economy.
Morrison's LNP did not make any emissions reduction or renewable energy promises in the lead-up to the election beyond Australia's existing international climate change commitments.
Peter Allen, chief executive of real estate and property giant Scentre Group, said that the revolving door of leadership in recent times had eroded consumer confidence.
"Certainty of leadership is critical for consumer confidence and business investment," Allen said.
"I hope the new government remains focused on long-term fiscal management of the country so we continue to attract investment, remain competitive and develop the skills and capabilities we need to enable this."
