Election 2025: Coalition demands Smart Energy Council probe

The Coalition has written to the Anti-slavery Commissioner demanding an investigation into the Smart Energy Council and its links to organisations black-listed by the US.

Liberal senator Andrew Bragg. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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The Coalition has written to the Anti-slavery Commissioner demanding an investigation into the Smart Energy Council and its links to organisations black-listed by the US over concerns they were exploiting workers in China’s Xinjiang province, arguing the SEC is disregarding the risk its sponsors are using forced labour.

In a letter to the commissioner, the opposition seized on revelations that several of the firms donating thousands of dollars to the Labor-linked climate charity or participating in its annual conference had been named as having “high exposure” to slave labour supply chains.

It is not the first time the Coalition has gone after the SEC, which boasts advisers including Simon Holmes a Court. It reported the organisation to the Charities Commissioner over its political activism.

“The Smart Energy Council actively markets in China. It solicits and receives money from these companies, then promotes their products at its annual conference … and other events,” Liberal senator Andrew Bragg’s letter said.

The SEC has been a key player in the 2025 election, following the release of its $600bn costing of the Coalition’s nuclear policy that was quickly seized on by Labor in its attack on Peter Dutton’s energy plans.

In Perth on Wednesday Anthony Albanese was pressed on the $600bn figure and why he was continuing to use it, when other costings had put the price tag of nuclear at a quarter of that, but said only “nuclear is the most expensive form of new energy” and that if it truly was feasible, the private sector would be investing in research around it.

SEC-linked companies embroiled in slave labour accusations include Jinko Solar, JA Solar and Trina Solar, all of which deny using forced labour in their supply chains despite being named in various papers and even black-listed from exporting to the US.

Senator Bragg said he was “concerned about the Smart Energy Council’s reported attitude in relation to these matters”, and pointed to comments by SEC chief executive John Grimes, who in 2021 said that “in a heightened political atmosphere, the opportunities to make accusations without supporting information (are) very high”.

“I have not seen direct evidence. I’ve seen a lot of assertions, but I haven’t seen direct evidence that … forced or slave labour is involved,” he said at the time.

Senator Bragg urged the Antislavery Commissioner to “educate the Smart Energy Council about the potential for modern slavery practices in their operations and in the operations and supply chains of entities they take money from”.

“Finally, I ask that you engage with Uighur victims of modern slavery to inform measures the Smart Energy Council might take to address these issues,” he said.

The Australian is not suggesting Mr Holmes a Court has any direct knowledge about the SEC’s alleged links to slave labour supply chains, only that the SEC should be investigated.

When asked in April if the SEC had any concerns over its sponsors having links to slave labour, Mr Grimes said the charity had a long-held public stance regarding principles for ethical solar, but that individual companies should be contacted “for their own views”.

“The Smart Energy Council joins other solar international stakeholders to condemn use of forced labour in all industries wherever such human rights abuses are found,” the SEC principles state. “The Smart Energy Council is committed to working with its members and suppliers to establish and maintain ethical, sustainable and socially responsible operations and supply chains.”