Transcript: Andrew McKellar News24 interview on AI

Transcript: Andrew McKellar News24 interview on AI

Tuesday, 1 September 2026

Kieran Gilbert:

Joining me live in the studio is the CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Andrew McKellar. Andrew, great to see you. There's a few different levels of this AI opportunity, isn't there? You've got the data centres, which come with their energy challenges, but then also the take-up by members of ACCI and other businesses right around this nation and driving productivity as part of that. How do you see the government's response? Is there enough clarity as to where they're heading?

Andrew McKellar:

Well, Kieran, I think we're encouraged by what we hear from the Treasurer today and Treasury. I think that illustrates that there is very significant upside there if we can get this right, but we have to do the basics. I think we've seen in recent weeks with National Cabinet and so on, the discussions there around how do we underpin this potential AI data centre boom? How do we access the energy? And I think the flexibility that came out of the National Cabinet meeting, particularly for states like Queensland and for the Northern Territory, that's important. So we've got to get that energy solution right. It's got to be reliable. It's got to be affordable. That's the first part of the equation. And then really, we've got to get business using this, building confidence and seeing the use cases. That's starting to happen, but there's a long way to go.

Kieran Gilbert:

What are you picking up from your members on uptake of this?

Andrew McKellar:

Well, I think it's very similar to the statistics that we just saw in the report a moment ago. Look, most businesses are dipping their toe in the water here, but I think there's still a long way to go to really establish the productivity benefits. They can be significant, but they can't be taken for granted. And obviously it also can't be a substitute for the hard work that's got to be done. All the sort of stuff that we've been talking about, particularly over the past year, going back to the Economic Reform Roundtable, we've got to do those basics. We've got to get our tax settings right, get them competitive, get the regulatory structure right. We've got to, I think, be careful not to tie these investments in knots. And we've got to support business to be able to really get in there, lean in and make the most of what is a significant opportunity.

Kieran Gilbert:

The Deputy Prime Minister is in America, in San Francisco this week, he's talking to the big tech outfits, AI groups like Anthropic, potentially a major presence here of some of those organisations. Would you welcome that? Do you like seeing Marles, Andrew Charlton with him as well, trying to get that sort of investment in Australia? Because what that brings is obviously great investment, but also great demand in terms of water use and energy use as well.

Andrew McKellar:

Well, I think it's a very exciting opportunity and I think that hopefully they will see a lot that is of interest and informs the opportunities that we can potentially bring back and develop here in Australia. So, I think that's going to be really important for them to see that up close and personal. Of course, we can't take this for granted. And I do think we've got to get this right. We've got to get the balance right. We've seen, whether it's here in Australia or even in the United States, there are challenges. And the issues with social licence, you've got to be careful that we ensure that we bring the community along, that in regions and in local areas where these investments are being put into place, that we ensure that they're sustainable, that you take account of the water usage of where the energy's going to come from. We need to, I think, work those things through with local communities.

Kieran Gilbert:

Given productivity's been anaemic for so long, if some of those higher end targets, the higher part of the range in terms of the Treasury forecast are hit, that would be huge. It'd be huge for the economy.

Andrew McKellar:

Absolutely. I think we're reasonably optimistic. The tone in the Treasurer's article today was optimistic. So, I think we share that viewpoint. We're hopeful, but we can't take it for granted and it's no substitute for doing the other basic things that we need to do as well.

Kieran Gilbert:

Yeah. As you said, you got to get the basics right if your members are going to capitalise on that productivity opportunity. Andrew, great to see you as always.