Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen flies high, costing taxpayers $260k for travel to 10 countries

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has racked up a travel bill of $260,000 at the expense of taxpayers — also generating as much as 200 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen billed taxpayers $260,000 to spend 55 days across 10 countries. Picture: Jane Dempster

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen billed taxpayers $260,000 to spend 55 days across 10 countries, with the Coalition slamming him for travelling while the government failed to cut power bills by $275 as promised.

Mr Bowen travelled between September 30 and November 24 last year, hitting countries including Fiji, Azerbaijan, Chile, Brazil and Qatar.

He was travelling to attend major global political meetings like the G20 and COP.

According to Coalition analysis Mr Bowen’s travel produced at least 200 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen described the Coalition’s criticism of him as “another desperate bid to distract” from the Opposition’s nuclear power policy. Picture: David Clark

NSW Senator Dave Sharma said while Mr Bowen’s “community deals with the fallout from his failed policies, he has been touring the world”.

The Coalition has been taking aim at Labor for failing to deliver a $275 reduction on power bills as they promised at the last election.

“Rather than accepting responsibility for his contribution to the cost of living crisis, and dealing with this mess of failed policy, Bowen is more interesting in auditioning for the role of foreign minister,” Senator Sharma said.

Mr Bowen described the Coalition’s criticism of him as “another desperate bid to distract” from the Opposition’s nuclear power policy — which Labor has repeatedly argued will cost $600bn rather than $331bn.

“A few weeks ago Mr Dutton was complaining that members of the Government didn’t travel enough. Now he’s complaining about the opposite,” he said.

“Is he saying Australia should not have been represented by a minister at the G20, COP or the Pacific Island climate ministers meetings? Because that’s what those meetings were.”