Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen declined to give the total cost to Australian taxpayers of the United Nations pre-COP meeting in Fiji and Tuvalu. A suggested $20 million figure, he said, was “keeping with estimates.” The meeting began Monday, October 5, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Bowen attending.
Who Pays
Asked on ABC Radio National Breakfast what it would cost to organise the meeting, Bowen sidestepped the question. Pressed on whether the figure was $20 million, he said it was “keeping with estimates.” He didn't state the total cost.
The event comes under an arrangement Australia made with Türkiye over hosting rights for COP31. The deal calls for a lead-up event in Fiji and Tuvalu, and makes Bowen President of Negotiations. The government organised the diplomatic meeting, while the question put to Bowen was about the cost to Australian taxpayers.
Albanese and Bowen attended the multi-day meeting, which started October 5, ahead of next month's main conference. The base article gives neither a final cost nor a detailed breakdown of the amount spent organising the event. Bowen didn't confirm that the cost was $20 million; he said the figure was in keeping with estimates.
Diplomacy and the State
Bowen called the meeting a major diplomatic engagement for the Australian government. “This is the most important diplomatic engagement Australia will have in the Pacific this term,” he said on ABC Radio National Breakfast. He also described it as “the most important climate conference that's been held in the Pacific, probably ever, at least in a decade.”
The meeting faced scrutiny after the federal government struggled to attract prime ministers and presidents. The article doesn't give a count of the leaders attending. It reports that Albanese and Bowen took part, and that the meeting formed part of the COP31 hosting arrangement with Türkiye.
Bowen tied support for the process to Australia's regional influence. “If you care about the Pacific, if you care about our region, and you care about Australia's influence in our region, then you support this process,” he said. His statement made the government's case for the meeting, even as the total taxpayer cost remained unclear.
Domestic Political Dispute
Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan called the meeting a “farce” and said it wasn't good value for taxpayers. He accused Albanese of leaving the country during a cost of living crisis. Tehan said Australia had “serious” domestic challenges to address.
“I do think that we're much better off if we're helping the Pacific with a strong economy where we are making sure that we're looking after Australians,” Tehan told ABC Radio National Breakfast. He linked support for the Pacific with Australia's domestic economic conditions and public spending priorities.
The dispute was about the meeting's cost, its value to taxpayers and the government's regional role. Bowen defended the event as important to Australia's influence in the Pacific, but didn't state the total cost. Tehan criticised the spending and Albanese's absence from Australia during a cost of living crisis. The meeting went ahead under the hosting arrangement with Türkiye, with Bowen assigned the role of President of Negotiations.